Lake Ontario will continue to be known by its established name, despite an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to rename it, Canadian officials and U.S. lawmakers have stated. The move by Trump, which occurred amid an ongoing U.S.-Canada trade dispute, has been widely condemned as a politically charged and baseless action.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed that Lake Ontario will retain its name, characterizing the U.S. president's action as preposterous. "You can try and change the name of a lake, but you can’t change the spirit of our city, our province, or our country," said Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford, who is seeking election as mayor. Bradford also referenced a similar executive order from last year, in which Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” likening the action to an aging rock band attempting to revive a past hit.
U.S. Democratic representatives echoed the sentiment. Representative Tim Kennedy of New York described the trade war and the renaming effort as "illogical" and characterized Trump's rhetoric as "juvenile." He emphasized that "Lake Ontario will always be Lake Ontario." Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, also responded to the news by stating, "it's Lake Ontario."
Bradford, in a pointed remark, suggested that if he is elected mayor, he would advocate for renaming Trump's home state the “Province of New York.”