US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in the United States, escalating his ongoing dispute with neighbouring Canada.
Trump announced the move on Thursday, directing the US Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the country’s geographic naming system. However, the order applies only to US federal usage and cannot compel Canadian authorities to adopt the new name.
The proposed renaming comes amid a sharp deterioration in US-Canada trade relations. Trump recently announced a 50 per cent tariff on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods after negotiations between the two countries broke down.
Canada has responded with retaliatory tariffs targeting approximately $20 billion worth of US products, including steel, dairy products, household appliances and agricultural equipment.
Trump has repeatedly criticised Canada since returning to the White House, including suggesting that the country could become the 51st US state.
The president has also floated the idea of renaming Lake Ontario in recent days, linking the proposal to his broader campaign to assert what he describes as American economic and national interests.
Trump signed the order from the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, with a large map of the Great Lakes displayed behind him. The map labelled Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in prominent red lettering.
Another map positioned nearby carried the slogan, “MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.”
The move is expected to generate controversy in Canada, where Lake Ontario has long retained its traditional name and forms part of the international Great Lakes water system shared by the two countries.
