President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that officially renames Lake Ontario “Lake America” for use by United States federal agencies. The order, titled “Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America,” directs the Interior Department to update the Geographic Names Information System and instruct all federal agencies to use the new name on maps, contracts, and official documents within 30 days.
Trade dispute backdrop
The renaming comes amid a widening trade conflict with Canada after negotiations collapsed and the United States imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs on an equivalent value of American imports, escalating tensions between the two neighbors.
Federal implementation
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will work with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to complete the change. The update applies only to federal maps, databases, contracts, and agency communications; it does not compel Canada, private mapmakers, or other nations to adopt the new designation.
U.S. claims on the Great Lakes
The order highlights the United States’ role in protecting the Great Lakes, noting that the U.S. Coast Guard operates nine of the eleven ice‑breaking vessels serving the region and that nearly $4 billion has been invested in the freshwater ecosystem over the past decade. It also asserts that the deepest portions of the lake lie within U.S. territory, giving the United States a majority share of the lake’s water volume.
Canadian response
Canadian officials, including Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, rejected the change, stating that the lake will continue to be called Lake Ontario in Canada and worldwide. The name “Ontario” predates both nations and derives from an Indigenous Iroquoian term meaning “lake of shining waters.”
Precedent and future plans
The Lake America order follows Trump’s earlier executive actions, such as the 2025 directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and to restore the name Mount McKinley for Denali. Trump hinted that additional geographic renamings could be considered, joking about the possibility of renaming oceans.
For now, the new name applies only within the federal government; Canadian authorities say the lake’s name will remain unchanged north of the border.
Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.
