President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. The order directs federal agencies, including the Interior Department, to update the name within the U.S. geographic naming service, maps, documents, and databases. Trump stated the change would take effect immediately.
The move comes amid an intensifying trade war between the United States and Canada. Following the collapse of trade negotiations, both nations have imposed tariffs on one another. Trump justified the decision by stating that Canada has been ripping the U.S. off on trade for a long time. This action is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat measures between the two neighbors.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against the rename, citing the lake's Indigenous origins. While the order applies to U.S. records, Trump has no authority to rename Canada’s portion of the lake or compel Canada, international mapmakers, or other global bodies to adopt the new name. The president has previously attempted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.