Is Renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Dumbest Executive Order in History?

A Brief History of Executive Orders

Executive orders have been around since the dawn of the presidency, codified by Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the executive branch. It states that the president “shall take care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Seems like a pretty flimsy justification for unchecked executive power, but here we are.

An executive order carries the weight of law. Once issued, it’s recorded in the Federal Register and becomes binding, just like any law passed by Congress. However, there are limits—it can’t violate existing laws, create new ones out of thin air, or dip into the U.S. Treasury for cash. Of course, Trump has already trampled over these boundaries just days into his so-called “presidency,” but who’s surprised?

Almost every president since Washington has used executive orders. The first, issued by Washington in 1789, directed government departments to submit reports about their operations. The only president who never signed one was William Henry Harrison, because he died a month into the job.

Executive Orders: The Good, the Bad, and Trump

Throughout American’s relatively short history, executive orders have done some good, which is what they were intended for. Truman desegregated the armed forces. FDR’s executive orders related to the New Deal kept people from starving. Biden tackled sky-high pharmaceutical prices.

But where there is good, there is also evil, and over the years there have been some absolute garbage orders. Ulysses S. Grant and several other presidents used executive orders to force Native Americans onto reservations in inhospitable wastelands. Although the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 gave the government the legal framework to displace Native Americans, it was executive orders that ultimately established reservations—often on barren, undesirable land. While the Indian Removal Act, signed by Andrew Jackson, technically did not permit the forced removal of Native Americans, Jackson—much like Trump—had no regard for legal constraints. Ignoring the law, he used military threats to drive Indigenous tribes from their ancestral lands across the southeastern United States, leading to the tragic Trail of Tears. And in terms of the worst executive order ever, FDR’s internment of Japanese Americans—one of the worst civil rights violations in U.S. history – just might take the cake.

Fast forward to today, and somehow Trump is setting new lows. His executive orders have included barring the FDA from warning people about poisonous food, increasing prescription drug prices, gutting DEI programs because he’s a racist misogynist who was literally found liable for rape, and trying to erase birthright citizenship—because why follow the Constitution when you can just ignore it? Or Trump’s … well, I don’t think we need any more proof that Trump only signs bad executive orders.

Stupid Executive Orders Throughout History

Typically, presidents are at least semi-competent, which is why the list of truly stupid executive orders is relatively short. While some may seem idiotic in hindsight, many were issued with the intent to cause harm—making them cruel, not dumb. Unfortunately, there have been some glaring exceptions in the competency department—Trump, Reagan, Nixon, and arguably Bush (since Dick Cheney was basically running the show)

One prime example of a genuinely stupid executive order is Nixon’s Wage and Price Controls (Executive Order 11615, 1971). In his infinite wisdom, Nixon decided to freeze wages and prices nationwide to curb inflation. The reason this executive order is considered genuinely stupid is beecause inflation and unemployment weren’t even major issues at the time. Some might argue he was being proactive about anticipated inflation, but economists would call that reckless. The short-term boost quickly backfired, leading to supply shortages, skyrocketing inflation once the controls were lifted, and a brutal stock market crash in 1973-74 that wiped out half the Dow’s value. In the end, the order meant to control inflation only exacerbated it, dragging the economy into a full-blown recession. It was an utter failure—much like the rest of Nixon’s economic policies, now infamously known as Nixon Shock, and whose aftershocks still haunt us today. Great job, Dick.

Reagan also contributed to the executive order hall of shame with Executive Order 12615 (1987), which pushed for the privatization of public services. This was a terrible idea then—just as it is now. It led to higher costs, shoddier services, and zero accountability. This executive order also flung the door wide open for corporate corruption, as most government contracts conveniently landed in the laps of well-connected corporations, leading to rampant waste, fraud, and abuse (much like how defense contracts operate today). And—surprise, surprise—many of the services privatized under Reagan’s administration had to be bailed out by the government because the private sector botched the job so badly. That’s why this executive order isn’t just bad—it’s genuinely stupid.

Yet despite the obvious failures, Republicans still worship at the altar of privatization. Case in point: Trump recently claimed he wants to privatize the Postal Service because it’s ‘not profitable’—which is an incredibly stupid thing to say. Government services exist to serve the public, not to turn a profit. And let’s not forget why the USPS struggles financially in the first place: a Republican-led Congress passed a 2006 law forcing the Postal Service to pre-fund health benefits for retirees 50 years in advance. Republicans will never admit it, but this was almost certainly a deliberate sabotage attempt—an effort to bankrupt the USPS and justify its privatization. Then, as now, the real goal of privatization is to enrich corporations at the expense of public goods. And we can thank Reagan for setting that disastrous precedent.

Trump’s Gold Medal in Executive Order Stupidity

Trump’s entire presidency is an encyclopedia of dumb decisions, but his executive orders are truly chef’s kiss levels of incompetence. Some of his greatest hits:

• Leaving the World Health Organization. Genius move—especially during a pandemic.
• Ending the EV car mandate. He literally doesn’t understand how tax incentives work and has no authority to repeal something set by congress.
• An “anti-inflation” executive order that does…nothing. It literally doesn’t do anything. It’s just meaningless words on a piece of paper that Trump signed that don’t order anything.

But there’s one order that tops them all in sheer idiocy.

The Dumbest Executive Order in U.S. History: Renaming the Gulf of Mexico

Yes, you read that right. Trump, in all his fragile, toddler-like insecurity, wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—because that’s totally a priority.

Let’s break down the layers of stupidity here:

1. No one cares. Americans don’t care. Other countries definitely don’t care. This will never be taken seriously. Even during Trump’s first term, world leaders laughed at him. Remember when Prince William and Prince Charles flat-out refused to meet him, leaving the poor Queen to deal with his nonsense alone? Yeah. That.
2. It changes nothing. Even if by some miracle the U.S. government went along with this stupidity, the rest of the world will still call it the Gulf of Mexico.
3. The U.S. doesn’t even own the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the Gulf of Mexico is considered international waters, meaning it does not belong to any nation. The U.S. does control a 12-nautical-mile stretch along our coast, but so does Mexico, and so does Cuba. We don’t have the authority to rename something we don’t own.

At this point, Trump isn’t even pretending to be a serious leader. This executive order is just another embarrassing display of his pettiness, ignorance, and overwhelming need for attention. Not only is it childish and immature, but it’s an embarrassment to our country.

In conclusion: Yes. This is without a doubt the dumbest executive order ever signed. And given Trump’s track record, that’s saying something.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/executive-order

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-establishment-and-modification-apache-and-white-mountain-indian

https://www.cato.org/commentary/remembering-nixons-wage-price-controls

How Ronald Reagan Tried to Shrink Government Spending | HISTORY

The Privatization Myth – The American Prospect

Privatization and the Reagan Administration: Ideology and Application

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/apr/15/afl-cio/widespread-facebook-post-blames-2006-law-us-postal

https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/prince-william-donald-trump-607554

Disclaimer: This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

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