February 6, 2025

“Gulf of America” and Panama Canal Policy Origins on Truth Social

President Trump’s re-litigation of the Panama Canal and the “Gulf of America” mirrors online activity from a few years ago.

TLDR

Donald Trump’s inaugural address mentioned “Panama” six times, in reference to reclaiming the Panama Canal. At the indoor inaugural parade later that day, Trump also signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”¹
Chatter on these topics dates back to posts on Trump Media & Technology Group’s social media platform Truth Social in 2022, including an early post by One America News (OAN) about renaming the Gulf of Mexico that predates Trump’s comments.
Once these topics get Trump’s attention, his comments are often amplified by other right-wing influencers. Jack Posobiec, for example, posted about both topics on Truth Social immediately after Trump mentioned them.

Background

The Panama Canal is a major shipping route of geopolitical importance. Late President Jimmy Carter gave management of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1978 through a Torrijos-Carter treaty.² However, in his inaugural address and recent press conferences, President Donald Trump has stated that he wants to take it back.³

While there is no formal protocol for naming international waters, the “Gulf of Mexico” first appeared on a world map in 1550 and has been internationally recognized as such since the mid-17th century.⁴ On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to change the name from the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”⁵

History of Mentions on Truth Social

Truth Social is an American microblogging social network platform created by Trump Media & Technology Group.⁶

Researchers at Open Measures sought to understand how interest in the Gulf of Mexico and taking back the Panama Canal developed over time and whether the discussion had earlier origins than Trump’s speeches. After investigating, researchers found discourse on both topics pre-dating the President’s public mentions by over a year.

The first Truth Social posts expressing similar sentiments about the Panama Canal appeared on April 28, 2022, shortly after the platform’s launch. Users expressed frustration about the southern border of the U.S., with some recommending “annexing Central America to the Panama Canal” (in other words, granting the U.S. control of the entirety of Central America, from the southern border to the Panama Canal). Others stated that Jimmy Carter made a mistake by giving it away.

*Truth Social post on April 28, 2022 mentioning the Panama Canal.*

*Truth Social Post on July 7, 2022 mentioning the Panama Canal.*

A *Truth Social post on April 26, 2023 (f/n/a is likely a grammatical mistake intending to read FKA or “formerly known as”).*

Open Measures researchers suspect that chatter on these topics has existed among Truth Social users for a few years now.

Influencers and Media Interest

In March 2024, the discussion was picked up by right-wing media outlets including One America News (OAN), a right-wing alternative media organization with over two million followers on Truth Social. An account for OAN’s show Tipping Point with Kara McKinney conducted a poll asking users whether they supported renaming the Gulf, with results showing 58% were in favor and 42% were opposed among 1,401 users.

*Truth Social post by OAN’s show* **Tipping Point with Kara McKinney** *conducting a poll on renaming the Gulf of Mexico.*

OAN has only reported on Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the Panama Canal, without adding any original commentary on Truth Social.

Jack Posobiec Discussion

Similarly, Jack Posobiec, a far-right influencer, first mentioned the “Gulf of America” in a Truth Social post on December 22, 2024. President Trump did not mention renaming the Gulf until giving a speech on January 7, 2025.⁷

*Jack Posobiec’s Truth Social post proposes renaming the Gulf of Mexico on December 22, 2024.*

Posobiec also first mentioned the Panama Canal the next day, December 23, 2024, shortly after Donald Trump’s first mention of it on Truth Social (on December 21, 2024). In his post, he stated that the Panama Canal only changed ownership in 1999 as a justification for reclaiming it. This post is misleading, however; the process was finalized in 1999, but was started in 1978 by Jimmy Carter.⁸

*Jack Posobiec’s first post regarding the Panama Canal in late 2024.*

Later that day, Posobiec stated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was to blame for issues surrounding the Panama Canal and Greenland, which President Trump has also spoken about annexing.

*Jack Posobiec’s second post regarding the Panama Canal in late 2024.*

As previously explored, Trump’s posts and rhetoric are often a significant driver of all activity on the platform, as major influencers pick up and share his posts almost immediately. Since Posobiec has 1.46 million followers on Truth Social, his posts on both topics garnered significant traction on the platform as well.

Conclusion

Our research reveals that Truth Social users were discussing renaming the Gulf of Mexico and taking back the Panama Canal for some time before these topics entered the national discourse. Researchers should be aware of this pattern as the Trump Administration tackles its first 100 days, as social media could have a role in framing policy.

Additionally, popular media outlets and influencers on Truth Social can generate interest in unconventional proposals before they enter mainstream media and politics (and before Trump himself officially endorses them).

We hope these results inspire more research and efforts to track similar topics before they become mainstream. Though sometimes these discussions remain online only, in some cases, they can result in an executive order.

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