Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America in provocation to Canada

Donald Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America for US official use. Lake Ontario is one of North America's five Great Lakes and forms part of the border between Canada's Ontario province and New York state.

In Short

• The executive order updates the lake’s name only in US records
• Canada is not bound to recognise the renamed waterbody officially
• The move follows fresh US tariffs on USD 20 billion of goods

US President Donald Trump has signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America", in a provocative move likely to anger Canada as tensions between the two neighbours remain high over trade. The lake is shared by the United States and Canada, with about 52 per cent of its surface area lying in Canada, making Trump's decision particularly sensitive in Ottawa.

"We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

"The lake change, the Lake of America, was something I've been thinking about for a long time, actually," he said.

The move adds another layer to an already strained US-Canada relationship, with US tariffs on Canadian goods already fuelling tensions between the two neighbours. Trade talks between Washington and Ottawa collapsed last week after three days of negotiations, with both sides blaming the other for the breakdown.

TRUMP'S LATEST PROVOCATION AGAINST CANADA

Lake Ontario is one of North America's five Great Lakes and forms part of the border between Canada's Ontario province and New York state. While the US President can direct how federal agencies refer to a geographic feature, changing the name in American government records does not automatically mean Canada will recognise the new designation.

The proposed renaming is also notable because Lake Ontario is a shared body of water. Under a 1909 treaty, roughly 52 per cent of its surface area is in Canada, with the rest in New York.

Trump has previously used geographic names as a way of asserting an American identity. After taking office last year, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the "Gulf of America" for US federal use.

US-CANADA TARIFF WAR DEEPENS

The Lake Ontario order comes against the backdrop of Trump's repeated pressure on Canada, including his calls for the country to become the 51st US state, and an escalating tariff war. Washington imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports after trade talks collapsed, while Canada has responded with tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on about 700 US products, covering a range of goods in retaliation. The Canadian measures are due to take effect on September 8.

The latest breakdown in trade negotiations has further complicated the relationship, with neither side publicly indicating that a breakthrough is imminent. Trump's approach, however, does not appear to reflect broader American public sentiment towards Canada. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in May found that 72 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of Canada, the highest rating for any country included in the survey.

Trump's Lake Ontario order follows the administration's earlier push to change the Gulf of Mexico's name.

After Trump ordered the change in January 2025, the US Board on Geographic Names, which operates under the Interior Department, updated the federal Geographic Names Information System roughly two weeks later.

That change applied to US federal usage and did not compel other countries or international organisations to adopt the new name.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies