Author: admin

• Teagan Trapp, a Canadian living in British Columbia, invests in US real estate.
• He wanted to buy properties in Canada, but said he could make more money in the US.
• He’s had success so far, but the business isn’t for everyone.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Teagan Trapp, 24, a Canadian based in Kelowna, British Columbia, who buys and sells real estate in the US through his company Blue Peak Ventures. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, all my life up until a year ago when I moved to Kelowna, British Columbia, in September 2025.

I grew up thinking I was going to go to university and get a job working for the government with a good pension and paychecks.

For three years, I worked as an HVAC and refrigeration mechanic as a commercial service tech. I would work up on roofs, I would work at hospitals on ice machines or on their commercial kitchen equipment, walk-in coolers, and walk-in freezers.

I would work in ceiling spaces, on air handling units, and in crawl spaces. I would work in all kinds of very difficult areas where most people would not work.

Growing up, my dad had rental properties — he still has them — and all my life I was around them. He had tenants in his houses, and I would help him with things like evictions, doing repairs before move-in, after move-out, doing showings, throwing big mattresses in dumpster bins, and anything you could think of.

I saw what it was like to have rental properties, but I didn’t see any kind of financial opportunity within Canada for residential.

I wanted to work in HVAC for probably five to 10 years. I thought I would save up enough money to buy a couple of apartment buildings that had at least 32 units, and then I would live in one of those units and rent out all the other ones.

That was my goal. I didn’t want to have residential houses and rent them out in Canada, because I didn’t see it being profitable because of mortgages — they renew every five years in Canada.

If I want to get debt on a property, I don’t want so many different things changing in the next three to four years. Taxes and insurance are going to go up no matter what; you can project that. But not the mortgage interest rate — and your payment could go way up.

Say you get a house, and it’s cash flowing, and then you have to renew your mortgage after five years — you’re screwed. I can’t control the interest rate on my debt. Whereas in the US, you can get an interest rate locked in for 30 years.

I decided that instead of doing multifamily in Canada, I can just flip homes in the US, and it’s a lot easier to make the numbers work. There’s just so much more of a market opportunity versus in Canada.

It took time to land my first sale from Canada

I never thought about doing anything in the US.

Someone who I used to work with in HVAC left the trade to go work for his dad’s construction company and become a partner in the business. He knew I was interested in real estate and sent me a webinar that was happening on US real estate in March 2024. That’s how I initially got the idea.

I spent a lot of time when I wasn’t working looking at YouTube videos. I got some books on Canadians who are snowbirds in America, trying to understand the tax strategy and ownership. I was talking with cross-border accountants and attorneys in the US who had worked with Canadians.

In October 2024, I quit my HVAC job.

I was grinding every day trying to figure out how to make it work.

At one point in November 2024, I got in my car and drove to Minnesota — it took me two days to get there — and I was door-knocking looking for homes to buy. I got doors slammed in my face.

That was the only time I went to the US and went looking for properties, though.

I run a business that buys real estate that most buyers would walk away from: someone has passed away, there’s a problem between the family, or the mortgage didn’t get paid. Sometimes the house is vacant, or sometimes someone is living in it. Sometimes we have to track people down.

They’re very complex real estate transactions. Sometimes there’s a will, and it’s locked in a safety deposit box, and it could be at two different banks, and the family doesn’t even know which bank it’s at, and nobody has access to the safety deposit box, and one of the heirs is missing who might have the key. All kinds of situations like that.

So I own the properties, and then I find a buyer for them.

It took me until March 2025 to buy my first property.

It was an auction for a pre-foreclosure condo just outside of Atlanta. It was an older lady; she wasn’t living there anymore and was in an assisted living facility. She was behind on her payments, so I bought the house from her and paid off the mortgage as well.

There were liens on the property from the utility companies for the water, sewer, and a lot of other outstanding things.

I paid about $70,000 cash.

I found someone online to go over there and take pictures, and they discovered it was a hoarder’s house. There was cat poop everywhere. The power was turned off. It was a disaster inside.

But I got a buyer lined up for it and sold it as-is within about three weeks for $130,000.

Between March 2025 and now, I’ve done over 30 deals. I average about two deals a month.

This business isn’t for everyone

I think I will do this for quite a while and eventually buy apartment buildings, RV parks, self-storage, and larger asset types in the US.

But if I were to start over and knew how hard this was going to be, and how much you have to devote to actually make this a business, I would have done something else, to be completely honest.

You have to have an insanely high risk tolerance, and expect it to take way longer than you ever thought, and cost way more than you would have ever thought.

I make about $25,000 on the average deal — that’s before you pay all your overhead, operating expenses, payroll, fees to maintain your entity, and everything like that.

I’m pretty far into it that I have this all going, and engines and people who are relying on me.

Right now, we’ve got a team of five, and now I’m hiring an executive assistant. I’m bringing on a business operations manager as well to remove myself as the operator so that we can basically do more. My capacity is maxed out.

I devoted myself to this business. I’m in it now, but if I knew how hard it was going to be — and how long it was going to take — I wouldn’t have done it.

Last year, we did deals in 13 different states, and it was just chaos. My head was on fire every day with all the problems and stress. By the end of the year, the goal is to operate in only four different states: South Carolina, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina.

Very few people will take on this kind of stress, risk, and complexity in their lives. It’s just so much easier to fail and mess up.

You have to have very thick skin to be able to deal with running a business.

• There are 20 US airports that employ private contractors instead of federal TSA screeners.
• These airports have maintained normal operations during government shutdowns.
• TSA recently scrapped its Gold+ program and announced a new strategy to encourage privatization.

Under President Donald Trump, the Transportation Security Administration is seeking to replace federal TSA screeners with private contractors in more airport security lines.

Twenty US airports already use private screeners through the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, or SPP, which launched in 2004 and operates under TSA oversight. Eight are Montana airports, including several small regional ones served by Cape Air, though San Francisco — one of the US’ busiest airports — is also on the list.

The operational difference became especially apparent during the two government shutdowns in 2025 and 2026. TSA staffing shortages due to missed paychecks created airport chaos and hourslong wait times at airports like Houston Hobby and Atlanta; travelers in San Francisco waited just minutes.

After scrapping its recently introduced TSA Gold+ program — which sought to expand private airport security screening under federal oversight but faced union opposition — the TSA announced a new strategy, Horizon 25, on Monday.

Named in recognition of the TSA’s 25th anniversary, the agency said the initiative aims to “accelerate public-private partnerships” through an evolved SPP, modernize TSA checkpoints, and enhance TSA PreCheck.

The broader privatization push has faced criticism from opponents, who argue that the competitive nature of such partnership programs could compromise aviation safety and worsen working conditions. White House officials, meanwhile, have said it would save money.

As the Trump administration pushes for more privatization of airport security, take a look at the airports across the US that haven’t had TSA screeners for years.

Atlantic City International Airport — Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport — Santa Rosa, California

Dawson Community Airport — Glendive, Montana

Great Falls International Airport — Great Falls, Montana

Glacier Park International Airport — Kalispell, Montana

Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport — Rochester, New York

Havre City-County Airport — Havre, Montana

Kansas City International Airport — Kansas City, Missouri

L. M. Clayton Airport — Wolf Point, Montana

Orlando Sanford International Airport — Sanford, Florida

Portsmouth International Airport — Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Punta Gorda Airport — Punta Gorda, Florida

Roswell Air Center — Roswell, New Mexico

San Francisco International Airport — San Francisco, California

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport — Sarasota, Florida

Sidney-Richland Municipal Airport — Sidney, Montana

Sioux Falls Regional Airport — Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Tupelo Regional Airport — Tupelo, Mississippi

Wokal Field/Glasgow Valley Airport — Glasgow, Montana

Yellowstone Airport — West Yellowstone, Montana

• The Starbucks fall menu is officially here.
• Along with the old favorite, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, there are 13 other drinks available this year.
• The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Pecan Cortado were the best.

Did you wake up this morning to a slight chill in the air? Perhaps you spotted a lone leaf falling from a tree and received your first targeted Halloween ad on Instagram?

And so, you headed to your local Starbucks and discovered that, yes, it’s time: The fall drinks are back.

The international chain, which released its fall lineup on August 25, announced a staggering 14 new and returning drinks for the season, including pumpkin, pecan, and banana-bread flavors, plus a new take on chai that it’s calling “Chaider.”

So, I tried all of them.

Fall is a big time for Starbucks. Last year, after the seasonal drinks were released, CEO Brian Niccol said the pumpkin spice latte helped “deliver a record-breaking sales week across our US company-operated stores” and led to the brand’s biggest Tuesday ever, amid efforts to turn the business around after declining sales over the last few years.

While we don’t yet know how PSL Day fared this year, we do know that things are generally looking better in 2026. The company’s Q3 report, released in July, showed that same-store sales were up 7.9% around the world and 175 net new stores opened during the quarter.

But we know why you’re here: to see if the drinks are actually any good. The verdict? Some of them are.

I ranked all 14 drinks from worst to best. Here’s how they stack up.

14. Iced Banana Bread Latte

There’s no nice way to say this: I hated the Iced Banana Bread latte.

I thought the artificial taste of the banana syrup — which I liked better in another drink — did not pair well with the blonde espresso.

It also comes with brown-sugar cream cold foam and cinnamon dolce sprinkles, which I also thought clashed with the banana syrup.

A grande, which contains 420 calories and 52 grams of sugar, costs $7.95 before tax. There are plenty of other things I’d rather spend $8 on, including all of the next drinks on the list.

Business Insider reached out to Starbucks for comment on this story.

13. Iced Pecan Crunch Latte

There are hot and iced versions of the Pecan Crunch latte, and I preferred the hot one. The iced version was too sweet for me, and I couldn’t find it refreshing, like an iced coffee is supposed to be.

I preferred the pecan syrup to the banana syrup, though.

The drink also comes with vanilla sweet-cream cold foam, though I didn’t notice a significant difference between the vanilla and brown-sugar cold foams.

A grande iced Pecan Crunch latte has slightly fewer calories (380) and fewer grams of sugar (43), and is slightly less money ($7.45). For those reasons, it edges out the Banana Bread latte.

12. Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha

This wasn’t bad — I just didn’t taste any pumpkin. It felt like sipping a normal Starbucks matcha, which isn’t typically my No. 1 choice.

You might be wondering, “What makes it pumpkin?”

The drink comes with pumpkin cream cold foam and pumpkin spice topping, although mine was missing the topping. So if you drink it from a straw, you could miss the pumpkin altogether, which I did at first.

When I sipped from the top, I got the slightest hint of pumpkin, but it was still faint, so maybe the matcha simply overpowers it.

A grande has 350 calories and costs $6.95.

11. Iced Banana Bread Chai

The banana syrup was a much more natural pairing for this drink than the latte, although I still don’t think I could manage more than a few sips.

In addition to Starbucks’ chai blend, it comes with banana syrup, brown-sugar cream cold foam, and cinnamon dolce sprinkles, which I do have to shout out — they taste exactly like Cinnabon. So, if that sounds good to you, I recommend getting them on any fall drink.

The grande costs $6.95 and contains 350 calories.

10. Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino

Before this, I hadn’t had a Frappuccino in years, but if we’re tasting the fall drinks, we’re tasting all the fall drinks.

Rather than shots of espresso (or just plain old coffee), a Frappuccino uses two pumps of special Frappuccino Roast, which is sort of like an instant coffee concentrate. It’s less intense than regular coffee, making Frappuccinos a favorite of teens and tweens.

I thought this drink was good. It’s made with a couple of pumps of pumpkin syrup, whipped cream, and the pumpkin spice topping. It’s basically like a pumpkin milkshake with a hint of coffee.

Now, would I ever order this outside a taste test? No, I like my coffee to taste like it has coffee in it, and it has 420 calories with 65 grams of sugar.

A grande costs $6.95, putting it at the same price as other drinks with actual espresso. It’s not at the bottom of this list, because I liked it, but it can’t be higher.

9. Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

This is a classic, though I’ve come to learn I (typically) prefer a hot seasonal drink to a cold one. There’s just something wrong about drinking an iced Pumpkin Spice latte — it’s antithetical to the entire cozy enterprise.

An iced PSL is the same as a hot one: It comes with pumpkin sauce, pumpkin spice topping, and whipped cream. It has 370 calories (and 45 grams of sugar) and costs $7.75 for a grande.

I don’t dislike an iced PSL, I’ll just go for a hot one nine times out of 10.

8. Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso

As a big fan of the original Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso since its debut in 2021 (and almost all of the variations since), I was excited to try the new shaken espresso.

This drink is made with espresso, oat milk, brown-sugar syrup, pumpkin cream cold foam, and a dusting of cinnamon powder.

I was always going to enjoy this, but I was slightly underwhelmed when I realized the pumpkin only comes from the cold foam. This tasted like a regular Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, with a little pumpkin on top, as long as you don’t drink it with a straw.

If I got this again, I’d substitute the brown-sugar syrup for pumpkin syrup so I’d actually get the pumpkin flavor I want.

It has 310 calories, making it one of the lower-calorie options from the lineup, and costs $7.45 for a grande.

7. Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai

The iced Pumpkin Cream chai is a classic iced chai with pumpkin cream cold foam and pumpkin spice topping.

I don’t typically like an iced chai, but I thought this was tasty. Pumpkin and chai are two flavors that work together, and if I were a bigger fan of iced chai, I would put this higher. Unfortunately, I just prefer a hot fall drink.

A grande iced Pumpkin Cream chai has 400 calories, 55 grams of sugar, and costs $6.95.

6. Iced Chaider

This was the drink I was most excited about. The Chaider, which Starbucks calls “a cozy twist on chai for fall,” is a new take on Starbucks’ classic chai, “shaken with strawberry acai flavors” to help it taste like everyone’s fall favorite: cider.

This was pretty good. It felt a little like drinking an apple candle — a thought I had when I tried Starbucks’ apple drinks in 2023 — but it wasn’t unpleasant. Even though this doesn’t technically have any apple in it, it certainly tasted like it.

I can’t imagine getting this every day, because the flavor is so strong, but to kick off a day of fall activities, this would be perfect.

Also, at 90 calories and 20 grams of sugar, it’s lighter than other options on the menu — and at $5.95 for a grande, it’s the cheapest.

5. Pumpkin Spice Chai

Hot chai is my preferred form of chai — taking a sip of this felt like fast-forwarding to mid-October.

Unlike the iced Pumpkin Cream chai, the hot Pumpkin Spice chai includes pumps of pumpkin syrup, which provides a stronger pumpkin flavor.

Generally, however, I’d rather drink regular chai. It has enough flavor as it is.

This drink, which costs $6.95 for a grande, has 260 calories.

4. Pecan Crunch Latte

As a longtime Nutty Pumpkin and Chestnut Praline latte enthusiast, I had high hopes for the (hot) Pecan Crunch latte. I was not disappointed.

Like with hazelnut and chestnut, the nutty flavors of the pecan syrup pair nicely with Starbucks’ Blonde espresso. And while it is sweet, the pecan flavor cuts through it and adds some dimension.

This is also supposed to have a pecan crunch topping, but it either sank to the bottom, or the barista forgot about it, which is forgivable — after all, I ordered 14 drinks.

A grande Pecan Crunch latte has 260 calories and costs $7.25.

3. Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ah, yes. Old faithful.

I’m never going to be mad about drinking a PSL. Even a mediocre one brings me joy. Thankfully, Starbucks has the Pumpkin Spice latte down to a science after over 20 years of heralding in autumn.

What is there to say? It’s a latte with pumpkin syrup and pumpkin topping, and it tastes cozy. If you’re looking to get into the pumpkin-beverage game, this is an excellent place to start.

A grande has 390 calories and a whopping 50 grams of sugar, and costs $7.45.

2. Pecan Cortado

I’m a new convert to cortados, which contain equal parts espresso and steamed milk, differentiating them from the more milk-forward lattes and macchiatos.

A Starbucks cortado is three shots of espresso and steamed milk. You can only get them in short cups, which makes them a perfect little pick-me-up.

The Pecan Cortado has an additional two pumps of pecan syrup and the pecan crunch topping.

I loved this drink. I thought the two pumps of pecan syrup were the perfect amount — as opposed to the three or four pumps in larger drinks — and I liked the nutty yet sweet flavor.

Plus, at just 130 calories and $5.75, it’s one of the lighter and cheaper options.

1. Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Nothing was ever going to beat the Pumpkin Cream cold brew, which is probably my favorite Starbucks drink of all time.

It’s one of the least cloyingly sweet drinks on the menu, since it has just a couple of pumps of vanilla syrup, pumpkin cream cold foam, and pumpkin topping.

I know I said I usually prefer hot fall drinks, but there’s a magic to the way the pumpkin cold foam gives the cold brew a little something extra that I love.

It has 250 calories, putting it on the lower end of the spectrum, and a grande costs $5.75, also putting it on the cheaper end.

I wish this were year-round, but maybe its limited-edition nature is what makes it so special, too.

• I’m a solo traveler who’s been to every US state and national park.
• The beauty of Glacier National Park has brought me to tears on several occasions.
• I’ve also loved traveling to gorgeous places like Grand Teton National Park and Sedona, Arizona.

Growing up in the Midwest, I often saw photos on calendars or computer screen wallpapers that seemed too good to be true.

The towering mountain peaks, jagged coastlines, and unique rock formations were so different from what I saw in my daily life that I couldn’t imagine they actually existed.

As I started to travel more in my 30s, eventually to all 50 states and 63 major US national parks, I found that not only did they all exist, but that there was an almost never-ending list of beautiful places.

Here are the 10 most beautiful spots I’ve visited in the US.

I’ve been to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming more than a dozen times.

From my first glimpse of the Teton Range nearly a decade ago, I’ve never gotten over its beauty.

The jutting peaks, ample wildlife, and clear blue lakes make this park stunning from all vantage points and have led to me coming back more than a dozen times.

The String, Jackson, and Jenny lakes are some of my favorite accessible viewpoints, and the more than 200 miles of hiking trails take visitors to vistas that feel like a mirage.

Seward, Alaska, offers both stunning views and lots to do.

I once spent a few weeks in the summer traveling solo in a van through Alaska.

Although the views throughout the state were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, Seward was the place I never wanted to leave.

The port city is on the Kenai Peninsula and serves as the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park.

Seward is the perfect place to enjoy the mountains and the sea. Camp on the beach, kayak in the bay, or take a sightseeing tour to spot puffins, humpback whales, and sea otters.

The Georgia coast is full of unique beauty.

Although not as obviously awe-inspiring or in-your-face as the dramatic Western vistas and mountaintops often seen as bucket-list locations, the Georgia coast has a truly unique beauty.

I love visiting Cumberland Island to admire the wild horses, walk below the live oak trees, and relax on more than 17 miles of uninterrupted and undeveloped beaches.

Sedona, Arizona, is known for its impressive red rocks.

Just two hours north of Phoenix and two hours south of the Grand Canyon lies the spiritual and adventure mecca of Sedona, Arizona.

Sedona is known for its impressive red rocks, energy vortexes, bucket-list hiking, mountain biking, and stargazing.

In my opinion, there’s no place as peaceful and spectacular in the Southwest as this town of just under 10,000 people.

Telluride, Colorado, offers adventure, luxury, and stunning views.

Colorado, my home state, is full of indescribable beauty. But with so many gorgeous areas, the one that always stands out is Telluride.

In a box canyon surrounded by the up to 14,000-foot mountains the state is known for, the small town offers adventure, luxury, and views you won’t find anywhere else.

Visiting California’s Yosemite National Park is at the top of many people’s bucket lists.

Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, the towering granite and impressive waterfalls of the Yosemite Valley are bucket-list items for a reason.

Watch the sunset at Tunnel View, hike on some of the roughly 800 miles of hiking trails, or relax next to the Merced River, which runs through the valley.

In Yosemite, you’ll be surrounded by beauty that can’t be captured or described.

New Hampshire’s White Mountains are especially beautiful in the fall.

The Northeast doesn’t always get the praise that outdoor areas in the West might, but it has no shortage of remarkable landscapes.

One of my favorite places to visit — specifically in the fall — is the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

I suggest hiking Artists Bluff Trail in Franconia Notch State Park before walking through Flume Gorge for more impressive views.

North Cascades National Park in Washington is a true hidden gem.

North Cascades National Park is one of the most stunning places I’ve ever visited, yet it’s typically one of the least-visited US national parks.

Despite being just hours from Seattle, the lesser-known national park still flies somewhat under the radar despite its remarkable beauty.

I recommend taking a scenic drive, visiting Diablo Lake, and hiking on some of the park’s 400 miles of trails.

California’s Highway 1 to Big Sur makes for a stunning road trip.

Although there are many impressive drives in the US, my trip along California’s Highway 1 to Big Sur and San Simeon was the most scenic and jaw-droppingly beautiful I’ve encountered.

Here, the coast dramatically meets the sea, with impressive cliffs, views, and beaches.

Be sure to stop at Bixby Creek Bridge for a photo op and continue to Pfeiffer Beach to see the unique purple sand.

The beauty of Montana’s Glacier National Park has brought me to tears.

I’ve visited Glacier National Park several times, and each trip has brought tears to my eyes.

Driving the nearly 50-mile scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road is a feast for the senses, with imposing mountains surrounding waterfalls.

Take your time at this more than 1 million-acre park, where each view somehow tops the last.

The park is known for its stunning glacial lakes and wildlife, including mountain goats, grizzly bears, and bighorn sheep.

This story was originally published on January 11, 2024, and most recently updated on August 28, 2026.

• Nvidia’s interest in Hugging Face supercharges its push into open-source AI.
• Open models could keep OpenAI and Anthropic from gaining too much power and squeezing Nvidia out.
• While Nvidia could gain more control over Hugging Face, too much could backfire.

What does $13 billion buy Nvidia these days? A bigger say in what AI gets built and what it runs on.

Business Insider reported on Wednesday that the chip giant was in talks to acquire Hugging Face, which hosts open-source AI models. That lines up with Nvidia’s strategy as of late, as it has been beating the drum about open-source AI — models that anyone can use and build on.

Open models could stave off a future dominated by giants like OpenAI and Anthropic, both of which create closed, proprietary models. If top AI labs dominate the models being used and build their own chips to run them — as OpenAI is doing with Jalapeño — they could eventually cut Nvidia out.

“Open source is an important counterweight to closed platforms like OpenAI and Anthropic,” said Brad Gastwirth, global head of research and market intelligence at Circular Technology. “The more AI development stays open and fragmented across many models and developers, the more opportunity Nvidia has to remain the underlying infrastructure provider.”

There’s a more immediate payoff, too: selling more chips. Developers using models from Hugging Face have to decide which hardware and software to run them on, and owning the hub could give Nvidia more sway over their choices.

Neither Nvidia nor Hugging Face immediately responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Nvidia could get more control over open-source AI

Nvidia has been circling Hugging Face for years.

It joined a $235 million funding round in 2023, and it distributes its own family of open models, Nemotron, on Hugging Face. Last year, Nvidia proposed a $500 million investment in Hugging Face at a $7 billion valuation, which the startup rejected, the Financial Times reported.

Hugging Face said at the time it didn’t want a single investor wielding too much influence. That’s because one of its hallmarks is its openness, with models that run on competing chips and cloud companies, including AMD and Google.

That makes a possible Nvidia acquisition a striking reversal, and it creates a tricky balance.

“The biggest risk is neutrality,” Gastwirth said. “Hugging Face has a lot of value because developers see it as an open platform. Nvidia would have to be careful not to undermine that.”

While Nvidia could get greater control over Hugging Face, it may have to use that control sparingly to preserve the openness that makes the startup so valuable.

Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at gweiss@businessinsider.com or Signal at @geoffweiss.25. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.

• 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.“