President Trump Don’t Sink Our National Identity In The “Gulf Of America”

Commentary by Arthur Piccolo

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY. Weds. Jan. 22, 2025: Just moments after becoming President, Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Imagine the unthinkable now: SS United States, the greatest ship this nation ever built, sunk to the bottom of what is now the Gulf of America, a symbol of America’s triumph turned into a rotting relic of its neglect.

The retired SS United States ocean liner ship sits docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. RXR Realty struck a deal with the SS United States nonprofit owner and plans a $500 million conversion of the ship that would include hotel rooms, restaurants and a museum celebrating the vessel’s history. Photographer: Hannah Yoon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Such an act would be more than a national tragedy or a historical footnote; it would be a national humiliation, a surrender of our greatness destroyed for no reason.

Mr. President, you ran on a promise to restore American greatness. How could you allow the ship that bears our name – United States – to sink into obscurity, much less the Gulf of America? The optics alone will be devastating. A president who champions American pride cannot allow the SS United States to rust away as a forgotten footnote in the Gulf of America.

With the 250th anniversary of our nation approaching in 2026, what better project than saving this ship to remind Americans – and the world – that we honor our past as we build our future? A simple executive order – your Save SS United States Order, would secure her future. Preserving our history, rallying national pride, and proving your commitment to making America great again not by sinking her as worthless in the Gulf of America.

Mr. President, you have issued various orders, redefined priorities, and taken actions that will be noticed. This one – saving SS United States – would ensure that your legacy includes not only promises but enduring, tangible greatness. Will you act, or will history judge this as the moment America lets its national identity sink into the Gulf of America?