President Trump is celebrating that major tech companies have updated their mapping apps in line with his move to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America as part of the administration’s ongoing trade war with Canada. The change, first displayed on Tuesday, is visible for U.S. users. The Independent has contacted Apple for comment.
Google began showing American users the new name on Saturday, two days after the president’s executive order renaming the Great Lake in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. The mapping service, which began falling out of fashion with the rise of Google and Apple Maps, saw a surge in downloads amid the naming controversy.
Canada, for its part, has strongly condemned the Trump administration’s actions. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.” On Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large billboard on the Canadian side of the lake reading "Lake Ontario.
Now and Always.” The mapping dustup is part of a larger trade war between the U.S. and Canada, after negotiations between the historic allies broke down in mid-August. The U.S. has imposed 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods, and Canadian retaliatory measures of up to 50 percent will kick in next week. Other U.S. officials have joined the president in trolling the Canadians.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mocked Canada's military online. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has threatened that Canada isn’t strong enough to go "tit for tat" with the larger U.S. economy. President Trump, meanwhile, has shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social where he kicks over a “Welcome to Lake Ontario” sign and replaces it with one reading “Welcome to Lake America.” Canada has called on the Trump administration to “stop doing memes” and get back to the bargaining table.
"When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions," Carney said Tuesday. "It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy." The U.S. and Canada have a trading relationship valued at nearly $900 billion per year. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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