President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for use by the U.S. government, the latest escalation in a growing dispute with Canada over trade. The order updates the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming system, though Canada is not required to adopt the change and has given no indication it will do so. Trump signed the order in the Oval Office, where a display map of the Great Lakes behind him showed “Lake America” printed in large red letters over Lake Ontario.
Speaking to reporters, the president criticized Canada’s approach to trade, calling it difficult to deal with and accusing the country of feeling “entitled.” The move follows days of public remarks in which Trump suggested the name change after U.S.-Canada trade talks broke down. The administration recently announced 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, deepening tensions between the two longtime allies. Trump has also repeatedly taunted Canada since returning to office, including by suggesting it should become the 51st U.S. state.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes shared by the United States and Canada. The lake forms part of the international border, separating New York state from Ontario, Canada’s most populous province and home to Toronto, the country’s largest city. Ontario is also a major trading partner for numerous U.S. states, underscoring the economic significance of the region at the center of the latest political dispute.
The move echoes Trump's earlier effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," another attempt to rebrand a prominent geographic feature through executive action. The president told reporters, "We have a Gulf and we have a Lake — now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific.
Maybe we'll change them both." This is a breaking news article.
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