US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, adding a further flashpoint to a deepening trade dispute with Canada.

The decision follows the breakdown of US-Canada trade talks late last week. The US then imposed new 50% tariffs on C$28bn ($20bn) worth of Canadian goods, while Canada said it will respond with “dollar for dollar” counter-tariffs next month.

Trump had previously warned on social media that he would seek to change the name of the lake, one of the five Great Lakes shared by the two countries. On Thursday, he said the order was “official, effective immediately” and that his administration had completed the paperwork needed to carry out the change.

US Department To Update Geographic Name Records

In the order, Trump directed the US Department of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information Service, the official repository of domestic geographic names in the United States, to reflect the new name.

He argued that the lake’s renaming was not intended as a direct message to Canada, but said the country had “been ripping us off for a long time on trade”.

Speaking as he signed the order in the Oval Office, Trump said he had been considering the change “for a long time” and drew a comparison with other US geographic name changes, saying there was a “gulf” and a “lake”, before suggesting that the Atlantic or Pacific could also be renamed.

There is no single internationally recognised body that sets official names for international waters. The order therefore concerns how the US officially recognises a place within its own geographic records, rather than creating a global naming authority to compel other states.

Canada Says Lake Ontario Will Remain

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the name Lake Ontario can be traced back more than 400 years. In a post on Thursday, he pointed to its use before the formation of the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Carney wrote that Canada recognises the lake as Lake Ontario “today and forever”, adding that the United States was “changing” in areas including trade relations, foreign policy and national monuments.

Canada’s response also included reference to long-standing naming origins across the Great Lakes region. Names of four lakes — Ontario, Huron, Michigan and Erie — come from indigenous words, while Lake Superior was named after an anglicised French term. Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes, borders the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.

Earlier this week, Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly rejected the notion that Canada would adopt the US change, saying: “We’ll always call it Lake Ontario.”

Officials have also previously argued that one country’s decisions do not oblige others to follow.

Past US Name Changes And Mexico Dispute

Trump’s latest executive order follows a similar move during his first term beginning in 2025. At that time, he signed an order changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Mexico rejected the change, saying a single country cannot rename a shared body of international water.

That renaming dispute also affected how the gulf is shown on maps. In the earlier case, Google Maps displayed “Gulf of America” for users in the US, while users in Mexico saw “Gulf of Mexico”. For other countries, the listing included both names in a combined format.

The Lake Ontario order comes amid US-Canada relations deteriorating to new lows, with both sides trading insults during the dispute over tariffs and trade conditions over the past week. On Friday night, talks collapsed at the last moment, with both sides accusing the other of pushing for last-minute changes to a tentative deal.

There was, however, a sign on Thursday that there could be room for renewed negotiation. Canadian US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a post on X that the US had withdrawn some demands around labelling requirements in French, and that measures to promote French language and Canadian culture would not be subject to future US trade actions. He said Canada looked forward to further clarifications that could enable a mutually beneficial agreement reflecting Canadian sovereignty.

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2 minutes ago, webfact said:

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, adding a further flashpoint to a deepening trade dispute with Canada.

The decision follows the breakdown of US-Canada trade talks late last week. The US then imposed new 50% tariffs on C$28bn ($20bn) worth of Canadian goods, while Canada said it will respond with “dollar for dollar” counter-tariffs next month.

Trump had previously warned on social media that he would seek to change the name of the lake, one of the five Great Lakes shared by the two countries. On Thursday, he said the order was “official, effective immediately” and that his administration had completed the paperwork needed to carry out the change.

US Department To Update Geographic Name Records

In the order, Trump directed the US Department of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information Service, the official repository of domestic geographic names in the United States, to reflect the new name.

He argued that the lake’s renaming was not intended as a direct message to Canada, but said the country had “been ripping us off for a long time on trade”.

Speaking as he signed the order in the Oval Office, Trump said he had been considering the change “for a long time” and drew a comparison with other US geographic name changes, saying there was a “gulf” and a “lake”, before suggesting that the Atlantic or Pacific could also be renamed.

There is no single internationally recognised body that sets official names for international waters. The order therefore concerns how the US officially recognises a place within its own geographic records, rather than creating a global naming authority to compel other states.

Canada Says Lake Ontario Will Remain

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the name Lake Ontario can be traced back more than 400 years. In a post on Thursday, he pointed to its use before the formation of the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Carney wrote that Canada recognises the lake as Lake Ontario “today and forever”, adding that the United States was “changing” in areas including trade relations, foreign policy and national monuments.

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Canada’s response also included reference to long-standing naming origins across the Great Lakes region. Names of four lakes — Ontario, Huron, Michigan and Erie — come from indigenous words, while Lake Superior was named after an anglicised French term. Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes, borders the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.

Earlier this week, Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly rejected the notion that Canada would adopt the US change, saying: “We’ll always call it Lake Ontario.”

Officials have also previously argued that one country’s decisions do not oblige others to follow.

Past US Name Changes And Mexico Dispute

Trump’s latest executive order follows a similar move during his first term beginning in 2025. At that time, he signed an order changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Mexico rejected the change, saying a single country cannot rename a shared body of international water.

That renaming dispute also affected how the gulf is shown on maps. In the earlier case, Google Maps displayed “Gulf of America” for users in the US, while users in Mexico saw “Gulf of Mexico”. For other countries, the listing included both names in a combined format.

The Lake Ontario order comes amid US-Canada relations deteriorating to new lows, with both sides trading insults during the dispute over tariffs and trade conditions over the past week. On Friday night, talks collapsed at the last moment, with both sides accusing the other of pushing for last-minute changes to a tentative deal.

There was, however, a sign on Thursday that there could be room for renewed negotiation. Canadian US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a post on X that the US had withdrawn some demands around labelling requirements in French, and that measures to promote French language and Canadian culture would not be subject to future US trade actions. He said Canada looked forward to further clarifications that could enable a mutually beneficial agreement reflecting Canadian sovereignty.

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Is this TRUE?

About the renaming of the province, Ontario, to Lake America?

Or, is this based on an Onion Article?

Fact from Fiction?

How-To... Please.

https://theonion.com/

Edited August 27Aug 27 by GammaGlobulin

Sounds like he could use a box of diapers........

Perhaps trump will start selling "trump maps " he said he has been thinking about it for a long that's an oxymoron trump and thinking.

By Official Order Of The President:

"Whatever you do, don't think about...

What's her name. Your attention to this matter would be great." 😃

Natalie Harp - Wikipedia https://share.google/u7ddmMxuRTZGXiuKE

1 hour ago, CANSIAM said:

Sounds like he could use a box of diapers........

Make that a crate ....

Trump always thinks big .!

Next move the Atlantic Ocean becomes the Melania Ocean and the city of Atlanta is changed to Melanta.

He's barking MAD I tell ya.

Barking mad!

What an embarrassment America has become. Sinking lower and lower with each petulant tantrum.

Laughing stock of the world, and it'll take a long time to come back from it and regain any semblance of respect.

Very sad that one single person can make such decisions in the US and that in the republican party there is nobody with influence trying to stop this.

I suppose Trump could have named it Veronica, so at least we can be thankful of that. I'm waiting for him to follow up---given his disdain of DEI, to rename the birds along his lake to Himons, rather than Herons.

I believe marine biologists will find Lake America is filled with Republican jellyfish, who lack the vertebrae to stand up and call the deranged child what he is, and remove him from office for the good of humanity.

Also, I don't our adversaries are going to snap in line, fearful Trump might rename them.

I do think Trump has destroyed an old descriptive that originated from the Hg felting of material used to make fedoras and other headgear: Mad as a hatter

It's now officially Mad as a Trumper.

All these folly moves will easily be wiped away after Trump.

It won't be as easy to tear down his ballroom or Arch de Trump if they ever get built.

Some presidents seek a legacy with good works.

Trump seeks a legacy with branding.

41 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

He's barking MAD I tell ya.

Barking mad!

The US is desperate.

It's a sinking ship.

Doesn't this poor excuse for a man-baby in diapers have a REAL job to do? This is getting plain ridiculous.

I saw an interview of a Canadian suggesting they rename it "Lake Release the Epstein Files."

That would certainly get my vote.

Just now, save the frogs said:

The US is desperate.

It's a sinking ship.

Objectively the US is a declining empire.

There is a way to handle that gradually and gracefully.

But Trump has accelerated that dramatically.

It's going to cause a lot of pain for millions of people.

But he doesn't care one bit about people who aren't Trump.

1 minute ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Doesn't this poor excuse for a man-baby in diapers have a REAL job to do? This is getting plain ridiculous.

I saw an interview of a Canadian suggesting they rename it "Lake Release the Epstein Files."

That would certainly get my vote.

That's perfect. I hope those dear Canucks do that!

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Next move the Atlantic Ocean becomes the Melania Ocean and the city of Atlanta is changed to Melanta.

Don't be daft! If he names something after a wife, then he would have to change it every few years.

Utterly deranged. Hard to believe any president, not just Trump, has the power to single-handedly change the geographical names of places simply on a whim--or, in Trump's case, because he's a spoiled, petulant, bully brat. On the bright side, I checked and he can't rename Washington, DC to Trump, DC so I guess that's a little cold comfort. But, there's an awful lot of grographical names for him to screw with . . .

Now the Americans are completely stupid. What a terrible country.

Just more ego-driven juvenile nonsense from a man who has descended into other madness and desperation for recognition.

I think many psychologists would describe this as being a condition that needs looking into, and thousands of hours of therapy, along with major medication.

Trump does not deserve his name on a plastic outhouse and changing names of lakes will be about as effective as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico. Nobody will ever recognize it especially after November. He is a goon and a pig and everything he does and says must be ignored at this point as the man is becoming less relevant by the day.

I have supported Donald Trump for many policies promised in his election campaign.

Changing the name of lake Ontario to lake America however is a childish petty response to a trade dispute with Canada.

Please please give president Bling Bling a break. He's 80 years old and dementing. Just let him live in his fantasy world. After his death, probably in the near future, everything can be reversed

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Next move the Atlantic Ocean becomes the Melania Ocean and the city of Atlanta is changed to Melanta.

I like it!

20 minutes ago, baipaibkk said:

Now the Americans are completely stupid. What a terrible country.

Really that must be why, more people who want to leave their own country permanently name the United States as their top choice than any other country...😀

14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Just more ego-driven juvenile nonsense from a man who has descended into other madness and desperation for recognition.

I think many psychologists would describe this as being a condition that needs looking into, and thousands of hours of therapy, along with major medication.

Trump does not deserve his name on a plastic outhouse and changing names of lakes will be about as effective as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico. Nobody will ever recognize it especially after November. He is a goon and a pig and everything he does and says must be ignored at this point as the man is becoming less relevant by the day.

Nothing like a professional diagnosis from our very own board certified physician.

Where did you complete your residency?

24 minutes ago, baipaibkk said:

Now the Americans are completely stupid. What a terrible country.

Kleenex on sale at Walmart.

Petty and ignorant. With one single act, he has forced people who were still willing to give him a chance, to say enough. He has reduced the USA to the laughing stock of the free world. Rather pathetic that border state Governors and Congressional members have not said anything. Trump has lost the plot.

1 hour ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Doesn't this poor excuse for a man-baby in diapers have a REAL job to do? This is getting plain ridiculous.

I saw an interview of a Canadian suggesting they rename it "Lake Release the Epstein Files."

That would certainly get my vote.

Trump’s doing exactly what I want him to.

Drive leftists nuts!

Judging by the posts. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

What an embarrassment America has become. Sinking lower and lower with each petulant tantrum.

Laughing stock of the world, and it'll take a long time to come back from it and regain any semblance of respect.

He’s doing everything I want. Best President ever!

He’s changing the name because HE CAN! And did!

That’s my boy!