Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’

• Trump on Thursday signed an executive order, which he said “immediately” changed the name of a Great Lake.
• It’s now “Lake America,” not “Lake Ontario,” Trump said.
• The move is the latest escalation between the feuding neighbors.

President Donald Trump‘s fight with Canada has spilled into Lake Ontario — er, Lake America?

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that he said would “immediately” rename the body of water to “Lake America.” Canadian officials have said they will not recognize the new name.

The order directs the US government to adopt “Lake America” as the official name used on federal maps and in federal contracts and documents. It does not require private map providers to adopt the change. Apple and Google didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether they would update their maps.

The move comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa rapidly deteriorate. Trade talks between the neighboring countries broke down on Friday, which prompted new tariffs from the US. Canada responded with its own tariffs, while Trump is threatening potential 50% tariffs on auto and steel imports from Canada, set for January 1.

Trump had threatened to rename the lake several times since the tensions flared.

In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said renaming the lake only required “a good pen and some intelligence,” while crossing out the name on a paper map.

The lake — whichever name you give it — runs along New York State’s northwest and Ontario’s southwest borders. It’s the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area.

In the executive order, the US said it invested nearly $4 billion in “protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade,” including providing nine of the eleven ice-breaking vessels.

It’s the second time that Trump has renamed a major body of water during his second term. In January 2025, he signed an executive order to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” the “Gulf of America.“