President Donald Trump’s order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” has drawn ridicule and scepticism from residents and politicians in New York, where several communities border the Great Lakes.

Trump signed an executive order on 27 August directing federal officials to carry out the change amid deteriorating US-Canada relations. The move followed the collapse of tariff negotiations and the escalation of a trade dispute between the two countries, according to the order.

While US administration officials announced the plan on social media the same day, many local residents said they saw no reason to change a name that predates both the United States and Canada.

Trump Administration Moves Ahead

US officials and departments posted details of the proposed renaming on 27 August, with some praising it among a small group of conservative figures.

Utah Senator Mike Lee and US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, among others, backed the idea. Burgum wrote: “Make the Great Lakes Great Again!” The administration has also since floated the concept of renaming an ocean, according to reports referenced in the coverage.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said that most of Lake Ontario’s volume lies within the United States and that the new name would reflect the lake’s “place in America and her heritage”. The White House did not respond to questions about public reaction to the proposal.

New York Officials Reject the Name

Local politicians in New York moved quickly to distance themselves from the change.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said he would not adopt the new label. Posting on social media on 27 August, he wrote that “Lake Ontario will remain Lake Ontario”, adding that Ontario Beach Park would also keep its existing name. He also said the Genesee River and the Erie Canal remained unchanged.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in response to Trump’s order that “New York won’t be calling it that.”

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Trump Signs Order Renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America

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Elsewhere in the US, some Republicans criticised the proposal. Wisconsin Representative Tom Tiffany said he believed the Great Lakes “are the Great Lakes” and should keep their current names, including Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario. Vermont Governor Phil Scott described the move as “petty and disappointing”.

Residents Say There Are Bigger Priorities

People living near the lake in New York told the Democrat and Chronicle that they were surprised by the announcement.

Sharee Turpin, of Gates, said her first reaction was that the plan was “funny”. She described visiting Lake Ontario every summer since childhood and said it would always remain Lake Ontario to her. She added that she wanted the name to stay because it formed part of local history.

Other residents expressed similar disbelief. Mike Olcott and Pat Vito, also near Lake Ontario, said the president had more pressing issues than changing the name of the water. Vito said the lake itself would still remain there regardless of any attempt to rename it.

John Melder, from Greece, said he laughed at the idea, citing Trump’s earlier attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico, which he said had not changed the name in practice.

Critics Call It a Distraction

Democratic politicians said the naming initiative reflected wider tensions with Canada rather than a genuine policy priority.

Democratic Representative Joseph Morelle, whose district includes cities on the lake, said the trade war was harming families in Rochester while Trump focused on “playing games with a map”, the USA TODAY Network reported. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said the name change distracted from issues that, he argued, were causing undue harm to low-income and middle-class consumers and to small business owners.

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29 August 2026

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I was taught the way to remember the names of the Great Lakes was SHOME and it now becomes SHAME, how appropriate

The word Ontario is from first nations people and it use about that lake predates the existence of both the US and Canada.

What are people in Ontatio California supposed to do now?

People will ignore his silliness, same as Gulf of Mexico. That executive order will expire like so many others, or some Dem will issue another, recinding it.

If Trump wants to call Lake Ontario “Lake America”, that’s fine. After all, governments have been renaming things for domestic applause since the Bronze Age.

But let’s not pretend it’s anything more than bureaucratic cosplay. Canada isn’t changing a single map, New York isn’t playing along, and every private platform from Google to MapQuest is politely ignoring the memo.

So what’s left? A federal‑only name that exists purely so this xenophobe can point at a lake and say, “Look, I made it more American”. It’s the geopolitical equivalent of slapping a flag sticker on a rental car, and it's temporary, and mostly for another photo opportunity.

In short, the lake stays Lake Ontario for the planet, and “Lake America” becomes yet another entry in the long catalogue of performative patriotism that evaporates the moment it touches reality.

If I was strolling on the shore of LAKE ONTARIO in New York state and some maga <deleted> called it Lake America, well I might just slap him in the face, I tell ya!

You really have to be balls deep into the maga cult to voluntarily adopt this idiocy!

Government agencies will have no choice though until it's changed back.

Edited Saturday at 08:05 AM3 days by Jingthing

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Other residents expressed similar disbelief. Mike Olcott and Pat Vito, also near Lake Ontario, said the president had more pressing issues than changing the name of the water.

Distraction is the only thing he can do, as the economy in the US is tanking. Except for Zuckerberg, Musk and Co.

54 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

If Trump wants to call Lake Ontario “Lake America”, that’s fine. After all, governments have been renaming things for domestic applause since the Bronze Age.

But let’s not pretend it’s anything more than bureaucratic cosplay. Canada isn’t changing a single map, New York isn’t playing along, and every private platform from Google to MapQuest is politely ignoring the memo.

So what’s left? A federal‑only name that exists purely so this xenophobe can point at a lake and say, “Look, I made it more American”. It’s the geopolitical equivalent of slapping a flag sticker on a rental car, and it's temporary, and mostly for another photo opportunity.

In short, the lake stays Lake Ontario for the planet, and “Lake America” becomes yet another entry in the long catalogue of performative patriotism that evaporates the moment it touches reality.

Every federal agency has 30 days to make the updates to their records. The EPA is already compliant. And its not just a statement "from now on the EPA will refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America", its actually a rewriting of history. They are updating all their previous reports, expunging the previous name.

https://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lake-america-lamps-and-associated-report

The Gulf of America cost the American federal taxpayer a modest $500,000. There will be additional costs to the states bordering the affected area. The Gulf of America change is estimated to have cost American industry $1 billion to affect the change. One might say $1 billion is chump change, its nothing, but it means $1 billion wasn't going into a payrise, or protect consumer price rises, or shareholder dividend.

In Mexico, Google shows the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Mexico. In the US, it shows it as Gulf of America. In the rest of the world, both is shown.

Now you say the rest of the world could just ignore these changes. But does the US believe that. They could insist on adoption of these name changes are part of trading agreements, international treaties. Orwell wrote about Oceania's "New Speak" as an attempt to control the world. The change in names might seem innocuous, and I expect the next will be renaming the Atlantic Ocean the "American Ocean". American Sea already exists. The Gulf Arabs do the same. Ironically, the US government continues to refer to Myanmar as Burma.

But this is more than names on a map. This is nationalism entering the classroom through the vocabulary of geography. When the government repeatedly replaces historically established geographical names with names containing ‘America’, it turns the map itself into a vehicle for national identity. Children are not merely learning where places are; they are being presented with a political assertion about whose identity should be attached to those places. American school education was very politicised right from the start. Noah Webster believed that political independence from Great Britain was meaningless without complete cultural and educational independence. He felt it very important that children arriving from the Old World needed to be re-educated to forget about that world, and only think of America. Mao would approve.

The renaming is not based on some previous historical sleight, but on profound ignorance. Literally someone thinks Lake Ontario was named after a Canadian Province.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/honoring-the-american-history-of-the-great-lakes-and-renaming-lake-ontario-as-lake-america-3a36/

"The body of water currently named as Lake Ontario, by the Canadian province of Ontario"

Arse about face, literally. New Speak.

That reminds me, are Freedom Fries still a thing?

He’s just trolling for attention poor little Donald must be feeling neglected poor thing change his diaper and send him to nappy time.

8 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

That reminds me, are Freedom Fries still a thing?

Went the same place as Freedom Toast, Liberty Steaks (burgers) and liberty cabbage (sauerkraut).

Its all as stupid as when Iran renamed Danish pastries.

On 8/29/2026 at 2:01 AM, josephbloggs said:

That reminds me, are Freedom Fries still a thing?

With a side of Victory Cabbage, please.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1027647/why-people-in-the-us-once-called-sauerkraut-liberty-cabbage/

On 8/29/2026 at 3:21 AM, KhunLA said:

People will ignore his silliness, same as Gulf of Mexico. That executive order will expire like so many others, or some Dem will issue another, recinding it.

what a pathetic petty little "man"

Google maps has fallen ... can we get them to call Israel - Palestine - it's correct name in the eyes of many millions of progressives around the world. And whilst we are at it Ameri-ka or if you are a man Ameri-krap.

16 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Google maps has fallen ... can we get them to call Israel - Palestine - it's correct name in the eyes of many millions of progressives around the world. And whilst we are at it Ameri-ka or if you are a man Ameri-krap.

I can almost see my house on that map.

5 hours ago, pomchop said:

what a pathetic petty little "man"

Actually he's kind of tall ... 6 feet 3 inches (191 centimeters)

Trump consistently confuses words and reality. And when the reality doesn't change he just bellows louder.

Just like a sulking 8-year-old who can't get his own way. I can just imagine him putting his thumb to his nose and wagging his fingers and going 'nah nah na na nah'.

I think there is a percentage of people, even devoted followers of the clown, who find an 80-year-old man acting like a 13-year-old on a daily basis to be quite offensive and ridiculous.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W. look smart and articulate. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump. And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: 'My God… what… have… I… created?

Unappealing, unattractive, idiotic, incompetent, hateful, hurtful, abrasive, rude, blowhard, liar, cheater, thief, infantile, failure, loser, fraud, sexual abuser, incestuous, tax cheat, insurrectionist, un-American, dictator-loving dictator wannabe, out of control, sociopathic, convicted felon, toxic narcissist & brutish A-hole.

On 8/29/2026 at 7:48 AM, JBChiangRai said:

I was taught the way to remember the names of the Great Lakes was SHOME and it now becomes SHAME, how appropriate

Very appropriate indeed- with all the chaos the orange felon has caused world wide you would think he had more to do than re name a Lake

It's ok. Only Trump and his band of misfits will be calling it Lake America while the rest of the world will still be calling it Lake Ontario.

21 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

It's ok. Only Trump and his band of misfits will be calling it Lake America while the rest of the world will still be calling it Lake Ontario.

Trump's rich friends like Hannity don't visit Lake Ontario --too low class.

They hang out with the sleazy billionaires on Necker island 🥳

20 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Trump's rich friends like Hannity don't visit Lake Ontario --too low class.

They hang out with the sleazy billionaires on Necker island 🥳

You mean Lake America?

9 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Google maps has fallen ... can we get them to call Israel - Palestine - it's correct name in the eyes of many millions of progressives around the world. And whilst we are at it Ameri-ka or if you are a man Ameri-krap.

Not on my phone.

Andvhe's not going to stop renaming places! 😂

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4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I think there is a percentage of people, even devoted followers of the clown, who find an 80-year-old man acting like a 13-year-old on a daily basis to be quite offensive and ridiculous.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W. look smart and articulate. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump. And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: 'My God… what… have… I… created?

Unappealing, unattractive, idiotic, incompetent, hateful, hurtful, abrasive, rude, blowhard, liar, cheater, thief, infantile, failure, loser, fraud, sexual abuser, incestuous, tax cheat, insurrectionist, un-American, dictator-loving dictator wannabe, out of control, sociopathic, convicted felon, toxic narcissist & brutish A-hole.

One good thing about Trump is that it helps to out the idiots - anyone still supporting him now with all that is known, is by any intelligent analysis such a person and the rest of their views can be conveniently derided and ignored. We must take that as a perverse 'win'.

What next, from "Strait of Hormuz ' to ''Strait of Trump '' ?

I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention because the first time I read the Interior Secretary's statement I thought he had said, "Make the Great Lakes Green Again". I thought, oh no, don't do to the Great Lakes what you did to the poor Reflecting Pool.

As for Trump, when you resort to spending all your time renaming things to give yourself something to do, you know you have utterly failed at doing anything important or long-lasting. Instead, you are just cementing your place in history as the Worst President Ever. Twice. Just as an aside, Donnie, calling something America this and something else America that really shows a lack of imagination.

11 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Actually he's kind of tall ... 6 feet 3 inches (191 centimeters)

He could be 7 feet tall and his actions and words still show him to be a petty little "man"