Washington — President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” following through on a threat he floated on social media earlier in the week.
“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” Trump said moments before putting his signature on the order.
The move came after Trump wrote on Truth Social that his administration was giving “serious consideration” to renaming the lake and shared a map with the words “Lake Ontario” crossed out. In the same post, he suggested the United States did not expect to be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.” Thursday’s Oval Office announcement marks the latest escalation in the president’s widening trade dispute with Canada.
The executive order instructs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to revise the Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS, to reflect the new federal designation. The GNIS, working with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, standardizes place names for use by federal agencies. While Trump can require the U.S. government to use “Lake America,” he does not have the authority to compel other nations or international organizations to adopt the name.
Asked what message the order was intended to send to Canada, Mr. Trump insisted there was none.
“No message,” he said, before adding, “As you know, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very, very sadly. Even the military. You know, we defend Canada for nothing.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Lake Ontario is much older than the Declaration of Independence, and “naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario.”
Canadian officials pushed back by emphasizing the lake’s historic name and Indigenous origins. “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word ‘Ontari’io,’ which, appropriately, means, ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big,’” Carney said. “The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. We know that America is changing. 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.”
The renaming order follows a series of aggressive trade actions against Canada. On Saturday, 50% tariffs took effect on certain Canadian imports, including wine and dairy products. Then on Monday, Trump announced 50% tariffs on all Canadian steel and automotive imports, set to begin in January.
In response, Carney announced that starting Sept. 8, Canada will begin imposing matching tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars of U.S. goods.
Mr. Trump also sought to change North America’s highest mountain peak, Denali in Alaska, back to Mount McKinley. Although the federal government can’t force other countries or private businesses to recognize the GNIS, when Mr. Trump sought to change the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” some private entities adopted the new name.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump threatened to rename an ocean, too.
“Now all we need is an ocean,” he said. “So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and—or— the Pacific.”
