Trump renames Lake Ontario as Lake America amid Canada tariff row

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 28, 2026 01:54 IST

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America" in the United States, in a move that comes as his trade dispute with Canada deepens. He signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the US geographic naming service.

Trump's announcement came days after the US said it would impose 50 per cent tariffs on USD 20 billion worth of Canadian goods after talks between the two countries broke down. Canada this week responded with retaliatory tariffs on USD 20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.

Trump signed the order at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, with a large map of the Great Lakes behind him carrying the words "Lake America" in red over Lake Ontario. Another map beside him read, "MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER." As he signed the order, Trump said he had "notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, we've done everything that you have to do." He added, "And this is official, effective immediately." However, the executive order says the changes are to be made within 30 days.

Trump cannot require Canada to adopt the new name. Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes that the US and Canada share. There is no single international body that decides the names of international bodies of water, though Trump has wide discretion over how the US government recognises geographic places and landmarks.

Trump has raised the idea of the name change in recent days while continuing his sharp attacks on Canada. Since returning to the White House last year, he has suggested that Canada, a long-time US ally, should become the 51st state. On Thursday, he said the move was not aimed at sending any particular geopolitical message, but added, "Canada's been ripping us off for a long time" on trade and military issues. He also said, "They wanted to be treated like a state and they're not a state. We just can't do that anymore." Trump added, "We love the people of Canada. I don't think their representatives do, an appropriate job. Maybe they'll change. I really don't know. It doesn't make much difference."

The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston dismissed the move in a social media post, writing, "We're into some real foolishness now. It's Lake Ontario, buddy." Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has traded insults with Trump, had earlier brushed aside the prospect of a name change as "a lot of rhetoric."

The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous word "oniatar:io", meaning "lake of shining waters". The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake. Trump's latest move is similar to his decision last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America". After signing the order with a Sharpie and holding it up for cameras, he suggested he may not be done, saying, "So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them."

In effect, Trump has ordered the US government to recognise Lake Ontario as "Lake America" within the country, even as the wider dispute with Canada over tariffs continues and Canadian leaders reject the move.

With PTI Inputs

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