Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed 'Lake America' amid trade dispute

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed "Lake America," escalating his ongoing trade dispute with Canada. The executive order, signed at the White House, directly targets a significant body of water straddling the U.S.-Canada border.

The move comes after trade talks between the two North American neighbors collapsed last week, leading to tit-for-tat tariffs. Trump, 80, told journalists that Canadian officials had "treated us very badly" and were "nasty people," justifying his decision to target an ally.

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We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney swiftly rejected Trump's order. "We know that America is changing," Carney stated in a post on X. "Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario - then, now and always." He emphasized that the lake's name predates both the United States and Canada and originates from an Indigenous word.

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The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They're nasty people.

This is not the first time Trump has unilaterally altered geographical names. In January 2025, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America, a move also rejected by Mexico. Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area, borders New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario.

The executive order directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to update all official references to the lake within 30 days. It claims the name change is justified because the deepest part of the lake lies on the American side, implying the U.S. "claims most of the Lake's volume."

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We know that America is changing. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario - then, now and always.