Is there a reason Donald Trump is literally trying to take over the world right now? Asking for humanity

He hasn’t even begun his presidency yet and Donald Trump has already floated plans to dominate Canada, Panama, and the perpetual subject of his megalomania: Mexico. 

The president-elect has been unable to keep the lattermost country’s name out of his mouth ever since his first 2016 presidential campaign (“build the wall” still sends shudders down my spine), but it seems he’s moved from walls to bodies of water. In a recent press conference at the quasi-White House that is Mar-a-Lago, Trump declared an unexpected proposal, one that adds to his increasing attempts to overstretch his power in international affairs. Once elected, Trump said his administration will rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

“We’re going to change because we do most of the work there and it’s ours,” Trump said, claiming ownership over a body of water that actually borders three countries; Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S. Like everything with Trump, the surprise proposal seems to be rooted in his immigration fear-mongering, with the former president saying the renaming is “appropriate” because “Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.” He went on to attack the country more broadly, describing it as a “very dangerous place” that it is “essentially run by the cartels.”  

Also, according to Trump, the name simply has a nice ring to it; “​​The Gulf of America,” he said, “what a beautiful name.” While it might feel initially like a man trying to test the limits of his power (“hey, let’s rename Australia Trumpland!”), what’s particularly concerning about the proposal is that Trump claims the wheels are already in motion, with a little help from space laser-wielder Marjorie Taylor Greene (who else?). Taking to her colleague’s platform, the far-right politician wrote on X that her staff has been instructed to begin drafting legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico. 

“This is important to begin funding the changing of maps for all agencies within the federal government, like the FAA and the military,” Greene wrote, likely whipping out a pack of crayons to begin the process herself. Greene’s involvement feels particularly worrisome given the importance of the Gulf, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s seafood, and is home to half of the nation’s petroleum refining and natural gas processing capacity. The closest Greene should get to seafood supply is ordering her boss a Filet-O-Fish at McDonald’s, but that hasn’t stopped her from initiating Trump’s proposal. 

Thankfully, if it ever does come to fruition, Trump’s Gulf renaming is not a unilateral decision, and other countries aren’t forced to go along with it. According to AP News, there are instances where countries refer to the same body of water by different names in their own documentation, so it seems Trump’s proposal is less about impactful change as it is about flexing his power on the international stage, a muscle he’s been stretching tirelessly of late. Just this week, he doubled-down on the suggestion that Canada become the United States’ 51st state, after mockingly calling outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “governor.”

Elsewhere, he set his sights on Greenland, proposing — as if it were a grocery item — to take ownership over the autonomous territory of Denmark for national security purposes. He also wants to seize the Panama Canal, and said during his Mar-a-Lago press conference that he wouldn’t rule out the use of military force to do so. As for why Trump is touting these proposals of world domination, well, he claims it’s part of his America-first policy. It’s either that, or it’s the result of a schoolboy giddy with power who just got access to it. That, folks, is what we here in Australia (soon-to-be Trumpland), call a d**k-measuring contest, but it seems Trump is the world leader who’s playing.