Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked controversy during a conference in January when he claimed that Mexican territory is funded by the U.S. He also announced a bold decision to rename the body of water connecting both nations, stating:
“We do most of the work there. We’re going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which is beautiful and covers a lot of territory. What a beautiful name, and it’s appropriate,” Trump declared.
In the wake of this announcement and the heated debate among experts from both countries, Google Maps seemed to back the Republican’s declaration, changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” within U.S. territory.
However, in a clever move of retaliation, pranksters have been taking matters into their own hands on Google Maps. On February 15, a viral prank saw users renaming various prominent locations in the U.S., with one of the most notable changes being the renaming of the Mall of America—located in Minnesota—to the “Mall of México.”
As the largest shopping mall in the U.S., Mall of America’s renaming quickly gained traction on social media. The prank sparked laughter and online debate, drawing attention to the creative pushback against Trump’s actions. However, following the viral spread of the joke, Google Maps quickly intervened and restored the mall’s original name, “Mall of America.”
Despite the reversal, many users have warned that more pranks like this could be on the horizon, turning Google Maps into an unexpected battleground, where users are now fighting back against the name changes tied to political disputes.
The prank ignited a hilarious debate on X, with users sharing their witty reactions in a thread that quickly went viral. You can check it out here.
