Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

Canada responded to Trump’s import taxes this week by imposing retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.

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Trump has been needling America's northern neighbor since he returned to the White House last year, suggesting the ally with whom the U.S. once had warm relations should instead be absorbed as the 51st state.

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Canadian officials dismissed Trump's move.

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Trump, who signed the order as he was sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, had a large sign behind him propped on a stand with a map of the Great Lakes.

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Trump has been needling America's northern neighbor since he returned to the White House last year, suggesting the ally with whom the U.S. once had warm relations should instead be absorbed as the 51st state.

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There is no single international body that determines names of international bodies of water and Trump has wide latitude over how the U.S. government recognizes geographic places and landmarks.

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The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarí:io,” which means “lake of shining waters.”

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has traded insults with Trump, said on X: “It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever.”

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The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.

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He also suggested his push to rename bodies of water may not be finished.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday afternoon to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” further needling Canada as he engages in a tense trade war with the United States’ northern ally.

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After he took similar executive action last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” Mexican officials lambasted the move and made clear they would keep using the old moniker.

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Google later announced that its maps feature would reflect the name “Gulf of America” for American users, while Mexican users would still see the name Gulf of Mexico.

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Trump has threatened to further escalate if Canada doesn’t back down.

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Canada is the United States’ second largest trading partner, behind Mexico, according to US Census data, making up 12.6% of its total trade.

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The new executive order tasks Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the Board on Geographic Names to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” within 30 days, including updating the Geographic Names Information System and removing “all references to Lake Ontario, consistent with applicable law.”

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Collins is a top Democratic target in the midterm election, and the tariffs will be acutely felt in her home state.

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The US-Canada trade talks seem to be on hold for now.

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The White House subsequently barred AP’s access to covering certain events in the Oval Office or traveling on Air Force One.

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A federal judge ultimately ruled that the White House’s actions were unconstitutional.

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Fights over the name change may not be limited to Canada.

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After the president signed the executive order establishing the “Gulf of America,” the Associated Press — which shares writing style guidelines widely used by news organizations — refused to recognize the new name.

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In response to the president’s latest attack, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell suggested a novel way to ensure Trump would take care of Lake Ontario: name it after Natalie Harp, Trump’s ever-present White House aide.

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Some Canadians have also suggested they should change the name of Lake Michigan, another one of the five Great Lakes, to “Lake Epstein”—a reference to sex offender and former Trump associate Jeffrey Epstein.

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In response to the president’s latest attack, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell suggested a novel way to ensure Trump would take care of Lake Ontario: name it after Natalie Harp, Trump’s ever-present White House aide.

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However, the issue comes with political risks for Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections, because states that border Canada, such as New York, Michigan and Maine, have deeply integrated economies, particularly in manufacturing, agriculture and energy.

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Some Canadians have also suggested they should change the name of Lake Michigan, another one of the five Great Lakes, to “Lake Epstein”—a reference to sex offender and former Trump associate Jeffrey Epstein.

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However, the issue comes with political risks for Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections, because states that border Canada, such as New York, Michigan and Maine, have deeply integrated economies, particularly in manufacturing, agriculture and energy.

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Trump implemented 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods to take effect on Saturday.

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The move prompted Canada to announce on Tuesday tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on 700 U.S. products, effective Sept. 8.

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He initially threatened the tariffs in July, pending a 30-day negotiating period.

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Trump suggested during the signing ceremony Thursday he could change the name of the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean next, so that America has a gulf, lake and ocean named after it, though it’s unclear if he was serious.

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The move prompted Canada to announce on Tuesday tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on 700 U.S. products, effective Sept. 8.

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The tariffs impact alcohol, dairy, cars and also include obscure products such as sledgehammers, tortoise shells and Christmas decorations.

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The tariffs are unlikely to have a significant impact on either country’s economy—the U.S. tariffs impact about 5% of Canadian exports, and the Canadian tariffs affect about 6% of U.S. exports, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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But Canada’s tariffs are also designed to put “political pressure” on the Trump administration by targeting specific states with competitive midterm elections, Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly said, as economic concerns and Trump’s low approval rating could threaten Republicans’ reelection chances.

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The U.S. has also invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada "has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period."

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"Without the security and investment provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as it is today."

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The U.S. has also invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada "has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period."

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The move to rename the lake, which sits on the U.S.-Canada border, came amid a breakdown in trade between both nations, with Trump accusing Ottawa of unfair trade practices.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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While the president does have the authority to direct how the government recognizes the names of places and landmarks, he cannot force Canada or individual citizens on either side of the border to follow his preferred naming conventions.

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Trump had teased the troll-ish renaming order in a video posted to TikTok earlier this week.

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Trump then suggested that Canada was “the worst to deal with on trade” despite the country’s long relationship with the U.S. and the trade agreement his administration negotiated during his first term.

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According to The Globe and Mail, Canadian defense forces have begun modeling a response to a hypothetical U.S. invasion for the first time in more than a century.

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His geographic broadside at America’s northern neighbor is the latest episode in a series of events that have fractured the relationship between the two countries.

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According to The Globe and Mail, Canadian defense forces have begun modeling a response to a hypothetical U.S. invasion for the first time in more than a century.

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And in recent weeks, he’s reportedly turned his attention back to Canada, fixating on the country’s “vulnerability” to foreign adversaries in its Arctic reaches.

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At the same time, the 80-year-old president has made clear his desire to take control of Greenland, a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, another NATO ally.

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The White House, which says it needs Greenland for purposes of national security, sees several options to achieve this goal, including the use of military force.

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At the same time, the 80-year-old president has made clear his desire to take control of Greenland, a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, another NATO ally.

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The White House, which says it needs Greenland for purposes of national security, sees several options to achieve this goal, including the use of military force.

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He then signed the document before showing it to the cameras.

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Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes, is located between New York State and Ontario, Canada's most populous province, home to about 16 million people.

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"We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms," he wrote, using the word to describe a proper name for any body of water.

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"America" is thought to be derived from the name of Amerigo Vespucci, a 16th-century Italian explorer of the New World.

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Executive Order 14420 calls America "the greatest protector of the Great Lakes," and states: "The body of water currently known as Lake Ontario is a tremendous asset to the United States and part of our Nation's heritage.

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Most other countries still use the old name.

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The name change is Trump's latest attack on Canada as the two countries engage in a rapidly spiraling trade war.

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The announcement came two days after the president threatened to change the name of the 13th-largest lake in the world, which borders New York and the Canadian province of Ontario.

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Her statement comes one day after she decried Trump's threats to rename the lake as "absurd" at the New York State Fair, where she spoke with farmers affected by the tariff war with Canada.

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While Trump's name change dictates government policy, it cannot immediately compel cultural or international change.

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The name change is Trump's latest attack on Canada as the two countries exchange verbal punches and threats over tariffs.

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His relationship with Carney has deteriorated, with Carney seeking closer ties to Europe and calling for countries to adapt to a new global order that is not built on the assumption that America is a reliable ally.

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The lake's name change is the latest in Trump's efforts to alter the names of global landmarks across the country, changing the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" and Alaska's Denali — the highest mountain peak in North America — to Mount McKinley at the beginning of his second term.

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The Associated Press, for example, said it would use Mount McKinley in its widely used style guide — but not "Gulf of America" because of its international nature.

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As I announced in Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025 (Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness), it is the policy of my Administration to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people and the rich heritage of our history by naming great natural landmarks for our shared achievements.

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The United States has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period.

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As I announced in Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025 (Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness), it is the policy of my Administration to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people and the rich heritage of our history by naming great natural landmarks for our shared achievements.

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With the deepest parts of the Lake's waters lying within United States territory, the United States claims most of the Lake's volume.

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The United States has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period.

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In recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation's economy and its people, I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America.

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(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall, in coordination with the Board on Geographic Names and consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all appropriate actions to rename as "Lake America" the body of water currently named as Lake Ontario, bounded on the south and east by the State of New York, and on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario.

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Maritime commerce on the broader Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system — of which the Lake is the easternmost and gateway segment — continues to generate substantial economic activity for the United States, supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic output, cargo value, and related business revenue, with our ports, carriers, and States deriving a significant share of the system's benefits in iron ore, limestone, coal, agricultural products, and other bulk commodities.

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The Lake has long been an integral asset to American exploration, settlement, commerce, and defense.

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Water from the Lake is used to supply nuclear, natural gas, and oil-fired power plants and to supply municipal drinking water to nearby communities.

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From the colonial period through the early republic, the Lake served as a critical artery for American trade, commerce, and military logistics, including the establishment in Oswego of a historic fort and the first United States port of call from the St. Lawrence Seaway, shipbuilding and naval operations during the War of 1812 at Sackets Harbor and other New York posts, and the movement of goods, settlers, and later industrial cargoes that linked the interior of the United States to eastern markets and the Atlantic.

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The Secretary, conjointly with the Board on Geographic Names, shall subsequently update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming of the Lake and remove all references to Lake Ontario from the GNIS, consistent with applicable law.

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The Board on Geographic Names shall provide guidance to ensure all Federal Government references to Lake Ontario, including on executive department and agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications, shall reflect its renaming.

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United States domestic and cross-border shipping activity on the Great Lakes system has historically underpinned regional manufacturing, steel production, agriculture, and energy supply chains in several States, reflecting the strategic and economic importance of these waters to the United States that continues to this day.

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(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall, in coordination with the Board on Geographic Names and consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all appropriate actions to rename as "Lake America" the body of water currently named as Lake Ontario, bounded on the south and east by the State of New York, and on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario.

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