Critics Slam the Latest Trump Renaming, as President Orders Lake Ontario Be Renamed ‘Lake America’
First the Gulf of America, and now...
Lake Ontario has been shared by the United States and Canada for centuries, forming part of the border between New York and Ontario. Its name predates both modern countries, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pointing to its long history as he rejected the proposed change.
According to Reuters, President Donald Trump has now turned the proposal into an executive action, signing an order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for U.S. federal purposes. The move comes as Washington and Ottawa remain locked in a trade dispute following the collapse of recent negotiations.
Trump had floated the renaming earlier this week, prompting criticism from Canadian officials and Indigenous representatives. The proposal also became another point of tension between the neighboring countries, following Trump’s earlier pressure on Canada.
Trump actually went through with it
Trump signed the executive order on August 27, directing the U.S. government to use “Lake America” in its official geographic naming system. The change applies to U.S. federal usage and does not determine what Canada, international organizations or others call the lake.
The decision comes after months of tension between Washington and Ottawa, with Canadian officials previously warning that the country would push back against Trump’s actions. The latest dispute over the lake’s name follows Canada’s earlier decision to fight back against Trump’s pressure.
Canadian officials have rejected the new name, with Carney saying Canada would continue to call it Lake Ontario. He also noted that the name predates both Canadian Confederation and the United States Declaration of Independence.
Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard criticized the decision, describing it as an attempt to erase Indigenous history. Officials in New York and Vermont also pushed back against Trump’s preferred name.
The renaming comes as the U.S. and Canada remain engaged in a trade dispute. Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs worth roughly $20 billion on U.S. goods after Washington imposed new duties following the breakdown of trade talks.
Trump’s decision follows his earlier effort to replace “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America” in U.S. government usage. That earlier renaming order similarly did not require other governments or international organizations to adopt the new name.
Trump also suggested that the renaming effort could extend beyond lakes and gulfs. While signing the Lake Ontario order, he mentioned the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and said, “Now all we need is an ocean.”
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