Changing “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America,” and then Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” Trump is turning geographic names into political statements. Canada has firmly refused to follow suit, and Trump has even suggested that the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans could be next on the list for renaming.
On Thursday local time, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. federal government to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." This decision comes amid a rapid escalation of the U.S.-Canada trade war, after which the Canadian federal and provincial governments promptly issued statements firmly rejecting the new name.
While signing the executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump said, “This is official and effective immediately.” He stated that the U.S. side has “notified everyone who needed to be notified” and completed all related documentation and procedures.
However, the executive order text states that the U.S. Department of the Interior and other agencies will complete updates to the U.S. Geographic Names System within 30 days. Trump can determine how the U.S. federal government refers to Lake Ontario, but this executive order cannot require Canada or other countries to adopt the same name.
At the signing ceremony, a map of North America’s Great Lakes was displayed behind Trump. The location originally labeled as Lake Ontario was prominently marked in large red letters as “Lake America.” Another map bore the text “MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.”
The White House stated that the United States owns "most of the water" of Lake Ontario.
The executive order provides a detailed explanation of the White House's rationale for the name change. The document states that the deepest waters of Lake Ontario lie within U.S. territory, giving the United States ownership of most of the lake's water volume, and notes that Lake Ontario has long been an important asset for U.S. exploration, settlement, commerce, and defense.
However, the timing of this name change makes it difficult to separate from the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
Previously, U.S.-Canada trade negotiations broke down, and the United States announced a 50% tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada subsequently imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods, including steel, dairy products, home appliances, and agricultural equipment.
When asked if the name change was intended to send a political or geopolitical signal to Canada, Trump denied the claim but immediately criticized Canada again. Trump said,
There’s no signal. But you know, Canada has long been taking advantage of us in trade. … They pay nothing yet want to be treated like a state, but they’re not a state. We can’t keep doing this.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly criticized Canada publicly and repeatedly suggested that Canada could become the United States' 51st state. As U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalate, such remarks have become increasingly frequent.
Canada rejects: "Past, present, and forever Lake Ontario"
Canada, on the other hand, has explicitly refused to recognize the name "American Lake."
Canadian Prime Minister Carney noted on social media that the name "Ontario" has existed for over 400 years, predating both the formation of the Canadian federation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Kani stated that the name "Lake Ontario" comes from the Wendat word "Ontari’io," meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is large." This name has been in use since at least the 17th century, and later, Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, was named after this lake.
Karn wrote, "We know that changes are taking place in the United States— their trade relationships, foreign policy, national monuments, and names of water bodies are all changing." He then added, "Canadians also know that respecting reality means calling it Lake Ontario—as it has been, as it is, and as it always will be."
Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly previously made it clear when Trump first proposed the name change: “We will always call it Lake Ontario. Period. We are proud of our Great Lakes.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also responded: “It is Lake Ontario for Canadians and the rest of the world—now and always.”
Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada, was more direct, saying: "We’ve now entered a truly absurd phase. Dude, it’s called Lake Ontario."
The U.S. state of New York, which borders Lake Ontario, has also voiced opposition. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “New York will not call it that.”
The U.S. can change its official designation, but it cannot require other countries to follow suit.
From a legal and international usage perspective, the impact of this renaming by the United States is primarily limited to its own government systems.
Canadian maritime lawyer Marc Isaacs told NBC News that the United States changing the name of Lake Ontario would not affect Canada or other countries, as neither U.S. nor Canadian officials hold the "right to name" the lake.
Americans can call it whatever they want," he said. "It's just Lake Ontario."
There is currently no international authority with unified power to determine the names of transboundary water bodies. Therefore, the U.S. government may adopt the term "Lake Michigan" within its official geographic naming system, while Canada and other countries may continue to use "Lake Ontario."
This is not the first time during Trump's second term that the name of a major geographic feature has been changed through executive power.
Last year, Trump requested that the U.S. government rename the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America." Following this, the U.S. Department of the Interior and companies such as Google and Apple adopted the new name in some of their maps and services in the U.S. market, but most other regions around the world did not follow suit.
This also provides a reference for a potential scenario in the “American Lake”: the U.S. government and some U.S. companies may adopt the new name designated by Trump, but Canada and other countries will not be forced to change their existing terminology as a result.
After signing the executive order to rename Lake Ontario, Trump also suggested that he might extend the renaming to oceans.
If you think about it, we now have a bay and a lake… we just need an ocean. So maybe we should rename the Atlantic or the Pacific. Maybe both.