President Donald Trump has signed an executive order officially renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," signaling a significant escalation in the ongoing trade dispute with Canada.
The move, announced Thursday, is part of a broader strategy to increase tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump stated that the name change is effective immediately.
"I guess the purpose of this, more than anything else, is we're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately to Lake America. That's going to take place right now as I sign the order," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
When asked about the provocation, Trump expressed frustration with Canada's trade practices. "We defend Canada for nothing, we don’t get anything," he said. "We love the people of Canada, but their representatives aren’t doing an appropriate job."
Trump indicated that the idea for the name change had been under consideration for some time. The announcement follows the failure of trade negotiations between the two countries on Friday, which led to a contentious exchange between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to the president's remarks, tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts, and steel are slated to increase to 50 percent by 2027. Trump also voiced his opinions on social media, posting on Truth Social, "On Trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst Nations in the World to deal with. They feel entitled, and yet, we don’t need Canada, they need us."