Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday in the Oval Office directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a largely symbolic move that comes as his trade dispute with Canada intensifies.

"We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America," Trump said before signing the order. The executive order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System, which works with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to standardize geographic names for federal use.

Trump had threatened the renaming earlier in the week on social media, posting a map with the label "Lake Ontario" crossed out. He also stated the U.S. did not expect to be "doing much business with Ontario any longer."

The president attributed the move to his grievances with Canada's trade practices. "As you know, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade. Sad," Trump said after signing the order. "Even the military: we defend Canada for nothing. We don't get anything. They don't pay us to defend Canada. But we defend Canada."

Trump characterized Canada as the worst trading partner to deal with. "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, and they feel entitled, and just we can't have that," he said. He also stated that Canadian officials "have treated us very badly. They're nasty people."

The renaming announcement represents the latest escalation in the trade conflict between the two nations. Trade talks between Canada and Washington collapsed over the weekend, triggering retaliatory tariffs from both sides. A 50 percent tariff on several Canadian imports took effect Saturday, with Trump threatening an additional round of 50 percent duties on Canadian steel, trucks, cars and auto parts to begin in the new year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with 25 to 50 percent tariffs on hundreds of U.S. goods.

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

The executive order applies only to U.S. federal naming conventions. Trump cannot force Canada or international bodies to adopt the new name. Canadian officials have already stated they will not recognize the renaming.

The move echoes Trump's January 2025 executive order attempting to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." That new name has not gained widespread adoption outside the White House.

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes and is located between the United States and Canada, sharing its name with the Canadian province of Ontario.