U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” within the United States, adding another symbolic dispute to already strained relations between Washington and Ottawa.
Under the order, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has 30 days to update the name in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. The change would apply only within the United States and would have no legal effect in Canada, where authorities could continue using the name Lake Ontario.
The decision comes amid escalating trade tensions between the United States and Canada and follows the breakdown of negotiations between the two countries.
Trump had previously signaled that he was seriously considering changing the lake’s name, arguing that Washington could no longer expect to maintain close cooperation with the Canadian province of Ontario.
He also posted a map on his social media platform, Truth Social, showing the body of water labeled “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario.
The lake lies along the border between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, with roughly 47 percent of its surface area located in the United States.
The renaming represents another geographic naming change pursued by the Trump administration. Earlier, Trump ordered U.S. federal agencies to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico” in official federal references.
The latest move comes as Washington and Ottawa have imposed reciprocal tariffs following failed trade negotiations. Trump has also threatened further tariff increases on Canadian vehicles and trucks, adding to tensions between the two long-standing allies.
Because Lake Ontario is shared by the United States and Canada, the two countries can now use different names for the same body of water, with the U.S. government adopting “Lake America” for federal purposes while Canada retains the traditional name.
