President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” It comes just days after the president said he was considering doing so, amid a trade war with Canada.
“The United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario. Without the security and investment provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as it is today,” the executive order says.
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The order goes on to say the U.S. has invested more in the lake and Great Lakes freshwater ecosystems over the last decade than Canada has.
Trump shared the news on Truth Social, saying, “Lake Ontario, that’s gone, Lake… America. So now we have… a lake, and now we have… a gulf, because we have the Gulf of America, and now we have Lake America, without the of.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming in a post on X. He said the U.S. “is changing,” pointing to how the Trump administration is handling trade relationships and foreign policy.
“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” Carney wrote.
Ongoing trade disputes
Last weekend, Trump ordered new 50% tariffs on Canada after a trade deal between the two countries fell apart.
In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. on Tuesday, saying the countermeasures will match U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar, rate for rate.”
Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the new duties range from 15% to 50% and will take effect on Sept. 8. They focus on steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
