President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for U.S. federal purposes, a move that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney swiftly rejected, citing the lake's Indigenous origins and centuries-old history.
Trump's directive, signed in the Oval Office on Thursday, instructs the Interior Department to update federal records to reflect the new name. The president indicated this was part of a broader pattern, referencing a previous, unofficial renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" and joking about potentially renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.
"We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms," Carney stated on X, formerly Twitter, in response to the executive order. "Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always."
Carney highlighted that the name Lake Ontario derives from the Wendat word "Ontari'io," meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big," and predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence by over 400 years. He emphasized that Canadians would continue to use the established name.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed his department's commitment to the change, stating on X, "The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States."
The renaming of Lake Ontario, which forms part of the international boundary between New York and the Canadian province of Ontario and has been jointly managed under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, has become another point of contention in escalating trade disputes between the U.S. and Canada.
Trump's supporters praised the move as "masterful trolling," while critics condemned it, with some labeling the president a "child" and the action a "national embarrassment." Republican representatives were quick to celebrate the decision.
Conversely, Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu criticized the move on X, stating, "This is why we can't have nice things." Senator Bernie Sanders urged Trump to focus on domestic priorities, asserting that "The American people don't want to rename Lake Ontario Lake America." Journalist John Harwood described proponents of the renaming as "Pitiful morons."
The executive order arrives amidst a contentious trade war, with Trump threatening substantial tariffs on Canadian goods, including cars and automotive parts, aiming to increase U.S. manufacturing. He also criticized Canada's reliance on U.S. military protection without commensurate compensation.
"We defend Canada for nothing, we don't get anything," Trump said, further describing Canadian representatives as "nasty people" and the country as a difficult trading partner.