Trump Orders Lake Ontario Renamed ‘Lake America’ Amid Canada Trade War

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the US Interior Department to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in the United States, adding a fresh flashpoint to already strained relations with Canada.

Trump signed the order at the Oval Office, where maps displaying the proposed name were placed behind his desk. Although the president described the change as “official, effective immediately,” the executive order gives the Interior Department 30 days to implement the changes through the US geographic naming system.

The move comes amid an escalating US-Canada trade dispute. The United States recently imposed 50% tariffs on USD 20 billion worth of Canadian goods after negotiations between the two countries broke down. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs covering around USD 20 billion of US products, including steel, dairy goods, appliances and farm equipment.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Canada over trade and defence issues and has suggested that the country could become the 51st US state. He said the renaming was not intended to convey a specific geopolitical message but argued that Canada had taken advantage of the United States for years.

Canadian officials have rejected the move. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston dismissed the decision, saying, “It’s Lake Ontario, buddy.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford had earlier described Trump’s renaming proposal as “a lot of rhetoric.”

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes shared by the US and Canada, meaning Washington cannot compel Canada to adopt the proposed name. There is also no single international authority responsible for determining the names of international bodies of water.

The name Ontario is derived from a Huron Indigenous term meaning “lake of shining waters.” The Canadian province of Ontario subsequently took its name from the lake.

Trump’s latest move echoes his earlier campaign to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” He also jokingly suggested that future renaming efforts could extend to the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.