By Globe News Report Staff
President Trump has signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” He signed the order Thursday in the Oval Office, days after trade talks between the US and Canada broke down.
Why Now
The move follows a sharp escalation in US-Canada trade tensions. Last week, the US imposed new 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada has said it will respond with matching tariffs next month. Trump said the renaming wasn’t a direct message to Canada, but added that the country “has been ripping us off for a long time on trade.”
The executive order gives the US Department of the Interior 30 days to update the name with the country’s official geographic naming system. Trump has authority over how the US refers to landmarks, but other countries aren’t required to follow along.
Canada’s Response
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the name change, saying the lake would continue to be called Lake Ontario “today and forever.” He pointed out that the name dates back more than 400 years, predating both the founding of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also dismissed the move, saying the lake would remain “Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world.”
Not the First Renaming
This isn’t Trump’s first attempt to rename a shared body of water. In 2025, he signed a similar order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Mexico rejected that change, arguing that no single country can rename international waters. The move also led to a legal dispute with the Associated Press, after the White House restricted AP reporters’ access over the news agency’s refusal to adopt the new name.
Mixed Reaction in the US
Reaction among US officials was divided. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum supported the move, saying the country’s landmarks should “reflect the greatness of the United States.” However, Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said she plans to introduce legislation to reverse the name change, calling it inappropriate given the lake’s shared history with Canada. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose state borders Lake Ontario, also said she would not adopt the new name.
Public polling on Trump’s earlier renaming of the Gulf of Mexico showed most Americans opposed that change at the time, based on multiple surveys conducted shortly after it occurred.
Sources: Information for this report was gathered from the BBC and CNN.