Trump Renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America' Amid Trade Tensions

In a move that further strains U.S.-Canada relations, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America.' The announcement, made from the Oval Office, directly targets the shared body of water between the two nations and comes as a trade war between the world's largest economy and its northern neighbor intensifies.

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

"We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America," Trump told reporters. He characterized Canadian officials as "nasty people" who have "treated us very badly," underscoring the acrimonious nature of the current bilateral relationship. This action mirrors a similar renaming initiative earlier this year when Trump changed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

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

Trump indicated that this renaming spree might not end with lakes and gulfs. "We have a Gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean," he mused. "So, maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them both." The president's penchant for renaming geographical features appears to be a symbolic, albeit unconventional, tactic amid ongoing trade disputes.

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The lake change, Lake of America, was something I've been thinking about for a long time, actually.