Joy Behar Rants About the U.S. Being Named After a “White Man” During Debate on Gulf of Mexico Renaming

Joy Behar sparked controversy with her remarks about the United States being named after a “white man” during a heated discussion on The View about the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.

The co-hosts of the ABC talk show were debating the White House’s decision to ban an Associated Press reporter from the Oval Office after the news outlet refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” following Donald Trump’s controversial renaming of the body of water.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, the show’s lone Republican co-host, defended the renaming, arguing that it is a more inclusive term.

“It is North America. Mexico and the United States are part of the Americas.

It would be petty if he called it the Gulf of the United States,” Griffin explained.

However, Behar quickly shifted the conversation, expressing frustration over the fact that the United States was named after an Italian explorer.

“This country that we’re in was settled by indigenous people, right? And yet they named the country after an Italian white man, Amerigo Vespucci,” Behar said.

“That’s what America is named after, Amerigo Vespucci, a white European.

Why was it named after a white man if it was settled by indigenous people?”

Co-host Sara Haines chimed in, noting that renaming bodies of water is not an uncommon practice, citing examples from around the world.

“The body of water south of China, which much of the world calls the South China Sea, China calls it South Sea, Vietnam calls it Eastern Sea, and the Philippines has designated parts of it the West Philippines Sea,” Haines explained.

Despite this, Behar remained fixated on the renaming issue and voiced her discontent with Trump’s priorities.

“But why does he care about it when the prices are going up on the eggs?” Behar asked.

“People did not vote to rename the Gulf of Mexico.”

Earlier this week, Behar also commented on Trump’s proposal to abolish the penny, claiming it was motivated by “jealousy.”

“He’s jealous of everyone. Now he’s getting rid of the penny, he’s even jealous of Lincoln.

He’s so small and petty,” Behar said, adding that Trump has “loyalty to no one.”

In a lighter moment on the show, Behar and Whoopi Goldberg mocked Elon Musk’s son, X, after his viral appearance at a press conference.

Goldberg laughed off the moment, joking, “I did not name the child, and I don’t want to hear anymore mess about our names.”

Behar, on the other hand, poked fun at the unusual name, calling him “little Instagram” after Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

She was quickly corrected, as Instagram is owned by Meta, not Musk.

Behar’s comments have fueled further discussions about naming conventions, political priorities, and the ongoing debates surrounding Trump’s policies.