CNN anchor Jake Tapper called the body of water where the returning astronauts splashed down the Gulf of America in a brief nod to the Trump administration — before adding that the rest of the world still recognizes it as the Gulf of Mexico.
“The Lead” host began his 5 p.m. program on Tuesday by providing minute-by-minute coverage of the return to Earth of the space capsule carrying stranded NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
“The 17-hour trip home began around 1 a.m. [ET] this morning. Within the hour, they’re expected to splash down near Tallahassee in an area that the US government now calls the Gulf of America, known everywhere else as the Gulf of Mexico,” Tapper told viewers.
“We’re closely tracking every step of this journey and we’ll bring you the re-entry and the splashdown live.”
Minutes later, Tapper made another reference to the Gulf of America during an exchange with Scott Altman, a former NASA astronaut who provided analysis for the network.
When Altman made an observation about the G-force that pushes down on the capsule carrying the astronauts as it re-enters the atmosphere, Tapper said: “And it’s going into the Gulf of America, what they call around the world the Gulf of Mexico, do they have an idea of where it’s going to land in the gulf?”
Shortly after assuming office for a second time on Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” — a move that has sparked controversy.
While federal agencies like the US Board on Geographic Names have begun implementing the change, private entities such as media outlets and mapping services remain divided.
Google and Apple updated their maps for US users by referring to the body of water as the “Gulf of America” but maintained the original name elsewhere.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has formally protested the decision, arguing that the US cannot unilaterally rename an international body of water.
The Associated Press still calls the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, which it has carried for 400 years, while acknowledging the name Gulf of America.
The wire service’s refusal to fall in line led the Trump White House to limit its reporters’ access to the Oval Office and Air Force One, resulting in a lawsuit being filed by AP.
Tapper’s comments are noteworthy given that CNN under new leadership has sought to strike a more balanced approach toward covering the Trump administration compared to the first go-around between 2017 and 2020.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
Shortly before the inauguration, CNN chief Mark Thompson addressed a group of over 100 journalists and prominent on-air figures, including Tapper and Anderson Cooper, advising them to refrain from “pre-judging” Trump.
He also cautioned them “against expressing any outrage of their own” during the inauguration.
Days after Trump took office, long-time antagonist Jim Acosta, the former White House correspondent, announced he was departing CNN after the network told him his time slot would be moved from late mornings to midnight Eastern Time.
Some observers interpreted the move as CNN’s way of seeking to turn a new page with Trump, who frequently butted heads with Acosta during news briefings that he convened in his first term as president.
The network, which reaped the fruits of a ratings bonanza by spearheading opposition to Trump during his first term in office, has since seen its viewership decline precipitously — prompting a radical overhaul of its programming under Thompson.
The Trump administration has been at loggerheads with the mainstream press since returning to power in January.
Major news organizations, including the New York Times, NBC News, and NPR, have been denied access to workspaces at the Pentagon.
Additionally, the administration has ordered federal agencies to cancel subscriptions to publications such as Politico and Reuters.
Earlier this month, the administration also took steps to shut down government-run media outlets like Voice of America.
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