Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that his administration is weighing a proposal to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” a provocative suggestion coming as the U.S. trade dispute with Canada intensifies.
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to [be] doing much business with Ontario any longer,” the President wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Lake Ontario sits along the U.S.-Canada border, with New York lining its southern and eastern edges and the Canadian province of Ontario stretching along its northern shore.
The lake is not under the sole authority of either country. For more than 100 years, it has been jointly managed through the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, a long-standing agreement governing shared waters between the United States and Canada.
Trump could direct U.S. federal agencies to refer to the body of water as “Lake America,” but such a change would have no binding effect on Canada, which would not be obligated to adopt the name.
Still, the suggestion carries clear political sting for Ottawa, as it would remove the name of Canada’s most populous province from a major shared landmark and reframe it in distinctly American terms.
The latest clash erupted over the weekend after trade negotiations broke down and Washington imposed 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods.
Canada responded by preparing matching tariffs on U.S. steel, electronics and other exports, while Trump warned he could add further 50 percent duties on Canadian-built vehicles and auto parts.
Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that he is considering renaming Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ as the US trade war with Canada escalates
Trump welcoming Canadian prime minister Mark Carney to the White House last October
Aerial view of Lake Ontario which is shared by the US and Canada
The move would be a pointed insult to Ottawa because it would strip the name of Canada’s most populous province from a shared landmark and recast it as exclusively American
Minutes after his threat to rename the lake, Trump sent out another post on Truth Social: ‘I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing.’
‘This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!’
Carney previously claimed the US had made ‘threats’ and demands targeting French-language protections and Quebec culture during tariff negotiations.
Since the collapse of negotiations, Trump has continued to warn Canadian leaders to ‘fall in line’ or face consequences ‘far WORSE’ than existing tariffs.
Carney’s government will raise the stakes again Tuesday by unveiling retaliatory tariffs on a broad range of American goods alongside a rescue package for Canadian workers and businesses.
The new measures are expected to include expanded unemployment benefits and government-backed loans for companies battered by Trump’s tariffs.
Canadian finance minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and three other Cabinet ministers are expected to unveil aid for workers caught in the tariff fight to help alleviate the economic strain.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned Monday that his province could cut off electricity to the US if Trump continues pressing the trade war.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has told Trump to ‘kiss my a**’ and threatened to cut off America’s electricity supply in response to the President’s latest tariffs
Ford said Ontario powers 1.5 million American homes and businesses and warned Trump he had better have ‘a pack of batteries’ ready.
Ford also told Trump to ‘kiss my a**’ and that Canada should be ready to ‘throw everything in the kitchen sink’ at the US President.
He also threatened to halt shipments of critical minerals and declared that ‘everything is on the table’ if the dispute worsens.
Carney withdrew from negotiations with Trump just hours before the president’s 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion-worth of Canadian goods were due to take effect.
Both leaders have traded shots, with Carney suggesting that Canada has to fight back against Trump.
‘You’re at war when you’re attacked, and we got attacked,’ he told Canadians. ‘We’re going to hit back.’
Trump lashed out Monday and declared Canada will ‘no longer’ be treated so kindly.
‘Canada has been ripping off the United States for years,’ the President said in a Truth Social post.
Canada and the United States share one of the world’s largest trading relationships, with deeply integrated supply chains across autos, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border
‘On trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst nations in the world to deal with. They feel entitled and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!’
Canada and the United States share one of the world´s largest trading relationships, with deeply integrated supply chains across autos, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Monday that ‘the only reason Canada has auto production in the first place’ was because of the 1960s Auto Pact, under which Canada used access to its market to encourage vehicle production north of the border.
Carney cast doubt on the US’ dependability, saying Canada was finding reliable partners ‘everywhere in the world, except in the United States and Russia.’
Carney said Washington’s auto-sector proposals would gradually have the effect of dismantling Canadian production.
‘This is the most successful automotive partnership in history,’ Carney said, referring to the deeply integrated Canada-US industry.
US and Canadian officials negotiated for roughly a month before the agreement, which both sides said was close, broke apart just before the finish line last week.
Trump had extended the negotiating window on August 19, when the tariffs were originally due to take effect, saying it was ‘based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!’
Rolled coils of steel sit in the yard at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario
Transport trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge into the United States, in Windsor, Ontario
But the extension failed to produce a deal, with Washington and Ottawa now blaming each other for the collapse.
American officials blamed Canada for introducing new demands late in the negotiations, including calls for lower rates on heavy trucks.
The fallout could raise prices further ahead of the midterm election as US voters are already wary of inflated costs.
In 2025, the US and Canada traded an estimated $869.7 billion in goods and services, according to the United States Trade Representative.
Concerns over the economy have come to the forefront of US politics ahead of the US midterm elections.
A July Gallup survey found that 22 percent of respondents rated the US economy as ‘excellent’ or ‘good.’
Another 32 percent of respondents called the economy ‘fair’ and 44 percent described it as ‘poor.’
Meanwhile, Democrats across the country have honed in on this concern and campaigned on making things more affordable.
Prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi show Democrats favored to win control of the House in the midterms, while Republicans retain a narrow edge in the Senate.
If Republicans lose either chamber, Trump could face greater difficulty advancing his policy priorities through Congress, as legislation would require support from at least some Democrats.
