Trump Officially Renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” as his trade battle with Canada continues to escalate.

Trump called reporters into the Oval Office to announce the move, while the White House made the name change official in a social media post.

“EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA!” the White House wrote.

The move is a direct swipe at Canadian political leaders, whom Trump criticized during his Oval Office gaggle with reporters.

“They’re nasty people,” Trump said of Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “But they treat us very badly. Canada treats us very badly. I would say that of all countries, as you know, we have — President Xi coming in a couple of weeks — we deal with a lot of people.”

“They’ll ask me, who’s the worst to deal with on trade? And I said, that’s easy. Canada. They are the worst to trade!” he added. “They feel entitled, and we can’t have that.”

The president first floated the idea earlier this week, posting on Truth Social that he was considering a total name swap for one of North America’s iconic Great Lakes.

“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump declared on his social media network

The renaming mirrors Trump’s executive action during his second term, where he directed federal agencies to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” His latest Great Lake comes amid a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration slapped a 50% tariff on over 550 distinct Canadian imports under a Great Depression-era trade law. The tariff hits everything from basic household staples like toilet paper, makeup, and honey to furniture, paint, smartphones, hockey sticks, and Christmas decorations.

In response to the $20 billion hit on exports, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promised “dollar for dollar” retaliatory tariffs kicking off next month targeting American steel, agricultural machinery, and electronics.

The feud quickly spiraled, with Trump slamming Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Carney, writing on Truth Social:

Lots of “bluster” from Doug Ford, who is the Premier of the Canadian Province of Ontario, but who is better known as the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford,” Trump said. 

“America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer! The U.S.A. will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada. Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive.”

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA! ???????? pic.twitter.com/ZFww8PexiW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2026