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🇸🇬 Singapore /Elections & Politics

CNA Explains: From Lake America to the Department of War, Five Name Changes Under Trump and Why They Matter

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Explainer Named sources New plan
  • Donald Trump’s administration has pursued new names for geographical landmarks and government institutions, including the Gulf of America, Lake America and the Department of War.
  • The changes have different legal reach: some affect only the US federal government, while others require congressional approval or face opposition from countries and jurisdictions involved.
  • Google and Apple have adopted some preferred names on their maps, giving them broader visibility despite having no legal obligation to do so.

Open Google Maps in the United States and some familiar landmarks now carry unfamiliar names. The Gulf of Mexico appears as the Gulf of America, Lake Ontario is labelled Lake America, and North America’s highest mountain is once again Mount McKinley rather than Denali.

The changes form part of a broader naming campaign pursued by President Donald Trump since his return to the White House. It reaches beyond geography. The administration uses “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense and refers to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “Secretary of War”. On Sunday, Sept. 6, Trump proposed renaming the state of New Mexico to “New America”.

Whether these names become established depends on the target. A presidential order can determine how the US federal government refers to a place, but it cannot dictate the terminology used by Canada, international bodies, private companies or individuals. Some changes also require congressional approval, while places shared with other countries create another obstacle when those countries reject the new names.

Lake Ontario illustrates the limits. Trump issued an executive order renaming it Lake America in late August, during an escalating trade war with Canada. The lake lies between Ontario and New York and has carried its current name for more than 400 years. Trump argued that its deepest section lies on the US side, meaning the United States “claims most of the lake’s volume”. Canada and New York have said they will continue using Lake Ontario.

Cornell law professor Michael Dorf questioned whether the federal government followed the legally required process. He said the US Board on Geographic Names appeared either to have been bypassed or to have acted without following federal law. Google and Apple nevertheless changed their maps after the order. Users in the United States see Lake America, users in Canada see Lake Ontario, and users elsewhere see both names.

claims most of the lake’s volume

· Donald TrumpTrump used the lake’s depth and the location of its deepest section to justify the proposed renaming of Lake Ontario.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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