US President Donald Trump has ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” within the United States as tensions between the US and Canada escalate over trade disputes. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the US geographic naming system, a move that applies only to federal agencies and has no binding effect on Canada.
The order comes amid an ongoing trade conflict between the two countries following a breakdown in negotiations. Over the weekend, the US imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. In response, Canada implemented retaliatory tariffs of equal value on American goods including steel, dairy products, appliances, and farm equipment.
Trump, sitting in the Oval Office with a map of the Great Lakes displaying the new name in large red letters, framed the action as part of broader frustrations with Canadian trade and military policies. “Canada’s been ripping us off for a long time on trade and military issues,” he said. He emphasized that the move was not intended as a geopolitical statement but added that he doubts Canadian representatives are fulfilling their duties appropriately. The executive order requires the US government to implement the name change within 30 days.
The name Lake Ontario, which derives from the Huron Indigenous word “oniatarí:io” meaning “lake of shining waters,” has been in use for more than 400 years. The province of Ontario, established at Canadian Confederation in 1867, takes its name from the lake. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized Trump’s decision on social media, underscoring the lake’s indigenous roots and its long historical significance predating both Canada’s and the US’s founding. “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” Carney stated. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston dismissed the move as “foolishness,” while Ontario Premier Doug Ford described the prospect as “a lot of rhetoric.”
Trump’s latest naming directive follows a similar measure last year when he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America” within US government documents. During the announcement, Trump hinted at the possibility of further renamings, suggesting that the names of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans might be changed in future.
There is no international authority governing the naming of bodies of water shared between countries, leaving the US with wide discretion over how it refers to geographic features domestically. However, Canada has made it clear it will continue to use the established name Lake Ontario. This symbolic gesture is part of what analysts see as a broader pattern of strained bilateral relations amid ongoing tariff disputes and political differences.