Trump Renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ as US-Canada Trade Tensions Escalate
- US President Donald Trump has ordered Lake Ontario to be called “Lake America” for US federal purposes.
- Canada has rejected the change, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying the historic name will remain.
- New York’s Democratic governor has also refused to adopt the new name.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” for US federal use, adding another flashpoint to already strained relations between Washington and Ottawa amid an escalating trade dispute.
Trump announced the decision from the Oval Office, saying the change would take effect immediately. He said renaming the lake was an idea he had been considering for a long time.
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The executive order applies to references used by the US federal government. It does not require Canada, international organizations or other authorities to adopt the new name for Lake Ontario, one of North America’s five Great Lakes.
🚨 BREAKING: @POTUS signs an Executive Order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 27, 2026
Here is the text of the Order:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose and Policy.… pic.twitter.com/ggfLXiD0g7
The announcement quickly drew opposition on both sides of the border. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change, while the Democratic governor of New York, which borders the lake on the US side, also said the state would not adopt the new name.
Lake Ontario has carried its name for more than 400 years, predating the establishment of both modern-day Canada and the United States. Carney stressed this history while responding to Trump’s decision.
“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Carney said.
.@POTUS: "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. Maybe we'll change them both." 🤣 https://t.co/Cj01PCOkSm pic.twitter.com/Tz7vGndw1S
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 27, 2026
He added that Canadians would continue to call the body of water Lake Ontario “then, now and always.”
The lake is shared by Canada and the United States, although the larger portion lies on the Canadian side. Around 52% of Lake Ontario’s surface area is in Canada, while the remaining portion is in New York State.
Trump’s decision comes at a particularly tense moment in US-Canada relations. Trade negotiations between the two neighbouring countries collapsed last week following three days of intensive talks, with Washington and Ottawa blaming each other for the failure to reach an agreement.
The dispute has already resulted in tariffs affecting tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade, raising concerns about the economic impact on businesses and consumers in both countries.
The trade confrontation comes as Trump faces pressure at home over the cost of living and declining public approval. His administration is also dealing with the economic consequences of the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which began six months ago.
Both the conflict and the trade dispute with Canada have contributed to concerns over higher costs for American consumers.
Despite Trump’s executive order, the name “Lake America” will therefore primarily apply within the US federal government unless other jurisdictions independently decide to adopt it. Canada and New York have already made clear that, as far as they are concerned, the centuries-old name Lake Ontario is staying.
