Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ in US, as Canada Trade War Escalates/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to recognize Lake Ontario as “Lake America” within the United States. The order cannot require Canada or international organizations to use the new name, which comes amid an escalating U.S.-Canada trade dispute. Canadian officials dismissed the move as rhetoric and “foolishness,” while Trump suggested he may consider renaming an ocean next.
Quick Look
- Trump signed the executive order Thursday in the Oval Office.
- The order directs the Interior Department to use “Lake America.”
- The federal naming changes are supposed to be completed within 30 days.
- Trump cannot require Canada to adopt the new name.
- No single international authority controls the names of shared bodies of water.
- The announcement comes during a growing U.S.-Canada trade war.
- The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods.
- Canada retaliated with tariffs on $20 billion in American products.
- Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston called the move “real foolishness.”
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford described the proposal as “a lot of rhetoric.”
- “Lake Ontario” derives from a Huron Indigenous term meaning “lake of shining waters.”
- Trump previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for U.S. government use.
- Trump suggested the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could be next.
Deep Look
Trump Orders US Government to Use ‘Lake America’
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the U.S. government to recognize Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
The order instructs the Interior Department to update the lake’s designation in the federal geographic naming system.
Trump announced that the change was effective immediately, although the executive order provides federal agencies with 30 days to complete the required updates.
The designation applies to the United States government. Trump cannot compel Canada to use the new name for a lake shared by both countries.
Oval Office Ceremony Features Great Lakes Maps
Trump signed the order at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office with a large map of the Great Lakes displayed behind him.
The words “Lake America” appeared in large red letters over Lake Ontario.
A second map positioned on the other side of the president carried the message “MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.”
Trump signed the order with a Sharpie and held it up for cameras.
“And we filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else,” Trump said.
“We’ve notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, we’ve done everything that you have to do,” he added. “And this is official, effective immediately.”
Name Change Comes Amid Canada Trade War
Trump’s executive order follows the collapse of trade negotiations between the United States and Canada.
Washington imposed 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian products over the weekend.
Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs covering about $20 billion in American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and agricultural equipment.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Canada since returning to the White House. He has also suggested that the neighboring country should become the 51st U.S. state.
Trump Accuses Canada of Exploiting US
Trump said the new lake designation was not intended to convey a specific geopolitical message but again accused Canada of treating the United States unfairly.
“Canada’s been ripping us off for a long time” on trade and military matters, Trump said.
“They wanted to be treated like a state and they’re not a state,” the president said. “We just can’t do that anymore.”
“We love the people of Canada,” Trump added. “I don’t think their representatives do, an appropriate job. Maybe they’ll change. I really don’t know. It doesn’t make much difference.”
Canadian Officials Dismiss Trump’s Move
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston dismissed the executive order in a social media post.
“We’re into some real foolishness now. It’s Lake Ontario, buddy,” Houston wrote.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has exchanged insults with Trump during the trade dispute, previously described the proposed change as “a lot of rhetoric.”
Canada Is Not Bound by US Designation
No single international organization has authority to establish universally binding names for international bodies of water.
Trump has broad authority to determine how the U.S. government identifies geographic locations and landmarks in federal documents and databases.
Canada can continue using Lake Ontario, however, and other governments, international bodies, map publishers and private companies are not required to adopt the American designation.
The result could be competing official names for the same lake depending on which country’s government is referring to it.
Lake’s Name Has Indigenous Origins
The name Lake Ontario derives from “oniatarí:io,” a word from the Huron Indigenous people meaning “lake of shining waters.”
The province of Ontario, established in 1867, was named after the lake.
Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes straddling the U.S.-Canada border. It borders New York state to the south and Ontario province to the north.
Move Follows ‘Gulf of America’ Renaming
The action resembles Trump’s previous decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for U.S. government purposes.
As with Lake Ontario, that change did not bind other countries or international institutions.
Trump has used geographic renaming to promote his “America First” political message and assert federal control over official U.S. terminology.
Trump Suggests Renaming an Ocean
The president suggested that his campaign to rename prominent bodies of water may continue.
“So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean,” Trump said. “So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them.”
Trump did not announce a formal proposal to rename either ocean.
More on US News