Trump’s latest renaming effort turns Lake Ontario into ‘Lake America’
The president signed an executive order changing the lake’s name in the U.S. as his administration continues its trade battle with Canada.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” escalating an increasingly tense dispute with Canada.
CNN reported Thursday that Trump signed the order in the Oval Office, where large maps of the Great Lakes were displayed behind him. Trump said the change was “effective immediately” and claimed his administration had completed the necessary paperwork.
The White House order directs the Interior Department and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to update federal geographic records within 30 days. The Geographic Names Information System is also to be changed to remove federal references to Lake Ontario and replace them with Lake America.
Trump framed the decision against the backdrop of his deteriorating relationship with Canada. In remarks reported by CNN, he accused Canadian officials of treating the United States badly and described Canada as difficult to deal with on trade.
The president also suggested the renaming campaign could extend beyond the lake. According to CNN, Trump joked that after changing the names of a gulf and a lake, the administration might eventually consider renaming the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.
The White House order offers a more detailed explanation for the decision. It argues that the lake is an important American economic, commercial and defense resource and says the United States has invested heavily in protecting the Great Lakes. The order also claims the deepest parts of the lake are within U.S. territory.
But the move does not give Washington the power to dictate what Canada calls the lake. Lake Ontario borders New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, and the U.S. order specifically concerns federal government references and geographic records. Other governments and international bodies are not automatically required to adopt the new name.
The announcement follows Trump’s earlier attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, another move that became part of his broader effort to reshape official geographic naming.
For now, Lake Ontario remains the name widely used outside the U.S. federal government, while American federal agencies begin implementing Trump’s preferred name, Lake America.