Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has taken a playful jab at former President Donald Trump’s latest executive order, which renames the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” In a satirical video released on Friday, Pritzker announced his own renaming initiative, humorously declaring that Lake Michigan will now be called “Lake Illinois.”
The video, styled like an official government announcement, features fake camera shutter sounds as Pritzker delivers his statement with a straight face. “The world’s finest geographers, experts who study the Earth’s natural environment, have concluded a decades-long council and determined that a great lake deserves to be named after a great state,” Pritzker said. “So today, I’m issuing a proclamation declaring that hereinafter, Lake Michigan shall be known as Lake Illinois. The proclamation has been forwarded to Google to ensure the world’s maps reflect this momentous change.”
His remarks directly mock Trump’s recent decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico and to revert the highest peak in North America, previously known as Denali, back to its old name, Mount McKinley.
Expanding the Joke: Annexing Green Bay
Pritzker didn’t stop at renaming Lake Michigan. In the video, he also jokes about annexing Green Bay, Wisconsin—a move meant to mirror Trump’s past interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark.
“In addition, the recent announcement that to protect the homeland, the United States will be purchasing Greenland… Illinois will now be annexing Green Bay to protect itself against enemies, foreign and domestic,” Pritzker quipped.
His playful declaration even included a reference to football rivalries, as he ended his statement with: “God bless America and bear down,” a direct nod to the Chicago Bears, longtime rivals of the Green Bay Packers.
Trump’s Name-Change Order and Google’s Response
Trump signed Executive Order 14172 immediately after returning to office, instructing the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America.” The same order also reinstated the name “Mount McKinley” for North America’s highest peak, reversing a 2015 decision that had restored its native Alaskan name, Denali.
Although Trump’s changes were announced, Google Maps has yet to reflect the new names. The company stated that it will update its maps once the Department of the Interior makes official changes in the Geographic Names Information System.
Legal Battle Between Illinois and the Federal Government
Pritzker’s humorous stunt comes at a time when the federal government is engaged in a legal battle with Illinois. The U.S. Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against Illinois and the city of Chicago, claiming that their sanctuary policies interfere with federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit argues that local laws in Illinois violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by restricting federal immigration authorities from carrying out their duties.
While Pritzker’s video was meant as satire, it also highlights the ongoing political tensions between Illinois and the federal government. Whether or not “Lake Illinois” becomes a reality, the joke has certainly made waves.
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