What’s wrong with this guy? Is he eight-years-old or 80? President Donald Trump has officially added another body of water to his growing American rebrand, signing an executive order Thursday that directs the federal government to call Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
The move arrives at a particularly tense moment between Washington and Ottawa, with trade negotiations collapsing and the Trump administration imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced retaliatory measures as the dispute continues to put pressure on one of America’s most important trading relationships.
Trump’s latest geographic makeover follows his January 2025 order changing the federal government’s name for the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The new order directs the Interior Department and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to update federal records and maps, making “Lake America” the official designation for U.S. government purposes.
That authority has a clear boundary. The lake is shared by the United States and Canada, meaning an American executive order does not compel Canada, international organizations or foreign mapmakers to adopt the new name. Canadian officials and institutions have continued using Lake Ontario.
That has turned the renaming into another flashpoint in an already heated relationship.
Critics have characterized the move as political theater, arguing that changing the label on a map does little to address the economic problems facing Americans or the trade dispute consuming attention in Washington. Some opposition lawmakers have reportedly dismissed the initiative as “bs,” questioning why geographic naming has become a presidential priority while tariffs and prices remain major concerns.
Trump has defended his approach and pointed to America’s historical and economic relationship with the Great Lakes. The executive order argues that the United States has invested heavily in protecting the region and that Lake Ontario plays an important role in American commerce, transportation, energy and national security.
The president also appeared to leave the door open for more renaming.
“We have a Gulf and we have a Lake – now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific,” Trump said.
“Maybe we’ll change them both.”
For now, the world’s maps remain divided by more than geography. Washington has “Lake America.” Canada still has Lake Ontario. And the trade fight between the two countries keeps getting harder to ignore.