‘The View’ co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin has a shocking take on the ‘Gulf of America’ madness

In one of the most random moves of his political career, Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Now, Alyssa Farah Griffin, co-host of The View and former Trump staffer, is defending the name change.

Not just defended it, though — she called it inclusive. On Thursday’s episode of The View, the panel was heatedly discussing the White House’s decision to bar the Associated Press (AP) from covering an Oval Office event. The AP refused to call the Gulf of Mexico by its new name, the Gulf of America. This is the kind of thing we’re prioritizing these days. While Griffin admitted that barring the AP was a bad move, she went on to argue that the name change itself wasn’t so bad. In fact, she doesn’t “actually hate” the idea. 

Griffin’s reasoning? “It’s North America. Mexico and the United States are part of the Americas,” she explained, emphasizing that it would’ve been worse if Trump had named it the “Gulf of the United States,” which would’ve been too petty. So, instead of outright claiming the Gulf as ours, the name “Gulf of America” is supposed to be a nod to shared regional identity. Sure, Alyssa. Just because something could have been worse doesn’t mean it’s good.

Let’s not pretend the name “Gulf of Mexico” came out of some deep, exclusive plot to alienate Americans. The name is based on geography — it’s a gulf that borders Mexico. Renaming it the “Gulf of America” doesn’t make it inclusive. It makes it territorial. If inclusivity were really the goal, wouldn’t the name stay as it is — a shared name that acknowledges Mexico’s presence? Renaming it feels less like a gesture of goodwill and more like a dominance play.

Thankfully, not everyone on The View was ready to let Griffin’s take slide. Joy Behar chimed in with a history lesson, pointing out that North America was originally settled by Indigenous people, yet the entire continent is named after a white Italian explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. “Why is it named after a white man when it was settled by Indigenous people?” she asked. The whole premise of renaming something to be more “inclusive” falls apart when you consider the colonial history of the Americas.

Griffin then admitted that Trump often does things like this to create media distractions. According to her, the “Gulf of America” madness is just another way to rile up the press while the administration quietly pushes through bigger, scarier changes, like dismantling government agencies or appointing people like Tulsi Gabbard to key intelligence roles. 

Griffin seems to be acknowledging the manipulation while still defending it. Since leaving the administration, she’s tried to distance herself from Trump’s more extreme antics. She’s spoken out against January 6, cooperated with federal prosecutors, and even voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election — a shocking move for a lifelong Republican. But despite all that, she still finds ways to defend or rationalize Trump’s policies. However, this time, let’s save the rebranding for something that actually needs it — like, I don’t know, the Republican Party.