Trump orders renaming of Lake Ontario to 'America Lake'

President Donald Trump has taken a provocative step by signing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to 'America Lake.' This action, announced just two days after he floated the idea on Truth Social, escalates his ongoing trade disputes with Canada.

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Canadian officials have treated us very badly, and they are nasty people.

Trump described Canada as the "most difficult country to do business with," telling reporters at the White House that Canadian officials had treated the U.S. "very badly." The executive order asserts that the U.S. has rights to most of the lake's water because its deepest point lies within U.S. territory. It also claims the U.S. plays the largest role in protecting the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario.

The order directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to change the lake's name in the American toponymy system. However, it cannot compel Canada to adopt the new name. This move is seen as a pressure tactic or provocation in Trump's trade war with Canada, particularly as Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been a vocal critic of the U.S. president.

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In the past, now, and in the future, it will always be Lake Ontario.

Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes, forms part of the border between Canada and the United States. The Canadian province of Ontario was named after the lake in 1867. In response to the U.S. renaming effort, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that the lake "will always be called Lake Ontario," highlighting that the name originates from the Wendat Indigenous language and predates Canadian confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

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The name Ontario, meaning 'a beautiful, great lake,' is over 400 years old and predates the founding of Canada and the American Declaration of Independence.

This is not the first time Trump has unilaterally changed internationally recognized names. Early in his presidency, he signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to 'America Bay.' When the Associated Press continued to use 'Gulf of Mexico,' Trump barred one of its reporters from White House events. Trump has also mused about renaming oceans, stating, "We have the bay named for us. We have the lake named for us. Now all we need is the ocean. We might have to change the Atlantic or the Pacific."

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We have the bay named for us. We have the lake named for us. Now all we need is the ocean. We might have to change the Atlantic or the Pacific.