Trump Orders Lake Ontario Renamed ‘Lake America ‘ Amid Escalating Canada Trade War
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” escalating tensions with Canada as a trade dispute between the two countries deepens.
Trump announced the move on Thursday while signing the order at the White House, saying the new name would take effect immediately for US federal purposes. The order instructs the US Department of the Interior and the Board on Geographic Names to update official federal maps, documents and databases within 30 days.
However, the order does not require Canada, international organisations or private mapping companies to adopt the new name. Lake Ontario is shared by the United States and Canada, with New York bordering the lake on the US side and Ontario on the Canadian side.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quickly rejected Trump’s decision, insisting that the body of water would continue to be known as Lake Ontario in Canada. Carney pointed to the lake’s Indigenous history, noting that its name predates both the United States and modern Canadian Confederation.
The controversy comes as Washington and Ottawa face a worsening trade dispute. Recent trade negotiations collapsed, with the two countries imposing or preparing retaliatory tariffs on each other’s goods. The latest US measures include 50% tariffs affecting billions of dollars of Canadian imports.
Trump defended his decision while speaking to reporters, accusing Canadian officials of treating the United States badly. His latest move has drawn criticism from Canadian officials and some US leaders, who have questioned the significance of changing the historic name of a lake shared by the two countries.
The dispute echoes Trump’s earlier decision to direct the US government to use “Gulf of America” instead of the Gulf of Mexico in federal references. Trump has also suggested that other major bodies of water could eventually face similar name changes.
For now, the lake remains Lake Ontario in Canada, while US federal agencies are expected to begin adopting “Lake America” in their official references. The disagreement has become another visible symbol of the increasingly strained relationship between the two longtime North American allies.
