US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America", escalating an already bitter feud with Canada as the two neighbouring nations sink deeper into a trade war. Trump made the announcement in the Oval Office on Friday, telling reporters gathered at the White House: "We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America."
Behind the president's desk were two maps of the US-Canada border — one bearing the words "Lake America" printed in red over the lake, the other carrying the header "Making the Great Lakes Even Greater."
Trump's Justification and Sharp Words for Canada
When asked why he was directing his actions at an ally rather than a US adversary, Trump was blunt. "The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They're nasty people," he said. The 80-year-old Republican also labelled Canada the hardest country to deal with on trade, telling reporters: "People, oftentimes, they'll ask me who's the worst to deal with on trade? And I said that's easy. Canada. They are the worst to trade with."
Trump described the renaming as something he had been considering for some time, drawing a direct parallel with his earlier decision — made on his first day back in office in January 2025 — to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. That change obliged the US federal government to adopt the new designation, though it has not gained international recognition and Mexico has flatly rejected it.
Trump also hinted that further renamings could be on the horizon. "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 both," he told reporters.
Canada Pushes Back, Citing Indigenous Origins of the Name
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney swiftly rejected the move, pointing to the name's deep Indigenous roots. "We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms," Carney wrote in a post on X. "Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always."
The name Ontario is derived from the Huron word "Ontari'io", meaning "great lake" or "beautiful water", according to the National Museum of the Great Lakes. The lake is shared by both countries, with Toronto — Canada's largest city — sitting on its northwestern shore. Its name is also shared with the Canadian province of Ontario.
Trump had flagged his intention to rename the lake earlier in the week, announcing on Wednesday that he was giving "serious consideration" to the change, before posting a TikTok video later that day confirming he planned to proceed.
A Deepening Trade War Between Neighbours
The renaming comes against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating trade relationship. US-Canada trade talks collapsed at the eleventh hour last week, with Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods taking effect on Saturday. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday, with Carney declaring: "You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked."
The Lake Ontario episode is the latest flashpoint in a broader pattern of American expansionism under Donald Trump during his second term, which has unsettled a number of US allies. Trump has previously suggested Canada should become the 51st US state, laid claim to Greenland — an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark — and raised the prospect of making Venezuela a US state.
Whether the Lake Ontario renaming will gain any traction beyond US federal government usage remains to be seen. Like the Gulf of America designation before it, it is expected to face resistance internationally and is unlikely to be adopted by Canada or recognised by other nations.
