Trump foe Jake Tapper refers to body of water astronauts landed in as Gulf of America on CNN

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 ...