A majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" and his administration's imposition of higher tariffs on Canadian goods, according to a recent poll. The Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 63% of respondents opposed the renaming of the lake, with 14% in favor. Another 57% opposed the new tariffs on Canadian imports, while 20% supported them.
The White House defended the president's actions, with spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stating, "Canada has been a bad neighbor by ripping off our country for years." Rogers added, "President Trump promised voters that he would not allow our country to be taken advantage of anymore, which is why he is fighting so hard to protect American industries and workers."
President Trump signed an executive order on August 27, 2026, to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, an action that coincided with an escalating trade dispute with Canada. During the Oval Office signing, Trump remarked that he had been considering the name change for a long time and cited a previous renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The executive order declared Lake Ontario a "tremendous asset" to the United States and stated that the U.S. is its "greatest protector."
Trump also publicly accused Canada of exploiting American businesses, asserting on Truth Social that Canada "wants to be treated like a state, but they aren't one." He reiterated that this practice of being "ripped off for decades" would cease.
The U.S. initiated the trade conflict in late July by imposing a 50% tariff on a variety of Canadian goods, which took effect earlier this month. Canada retaliated with its own tariffs of up to 50% on U.S. imports.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online over three days, gathering 1,023 responses from U.S. adults. The survey has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.