Lake America? Donald Trump Is a Victorian Cartographer

President Donald Trump's proposal to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" has been met with skepticism, primarily attributed to its apparent lack of seriousness. However, there are indications that this move is more than mere mockery. The reasoning behind this suggestion stems from a perceived decline in American business relations with Canada, exacerbated by ongoing trade tensions. While the name "Lake America" may serve as a sarcastic jab at Canada amid the ongoing tariff war, there is more to it than that.

Donald Trump has established a political strategy centered around symbolic sovereignty, wherein he asserts American primacy by redefining the map to reflect U.S. interests. This is akin to a Victorian cartographer of the British Empire, asserting authority over territories previously under imperial control. In 1858, John Hanning Speke renamed Lake Victoria to honor Queen Victoria, demonstrating how renaming can be a tool for asserting power and authorship over geographical features.

The act of renaming carries the implication of ownership and dominion, a practice that was common during the era of European imperialism and continues to be employed by modern leaders like Trump. By renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America," Trump is asserting U.S. hegemony over the Western Hemisphere, regardless of the consequences for the Canadian government and its citizens.

This is reminiscent of past imperialist practices where powerful nations named territories in their favor, often disregarding existing Indigenous names.

Moreover, Trump's proposal is a continuation of a policy he initiated in January 2025, which not only renamed the Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America" but also changed the name of Denali to Mount McKinley. This demonstrates a pattern of leveraging renaming as a means of asserting dominance and cementing U.S. supremacy. The etymology of the name Ontario reveals an Indigenous origin, and Trump's decision to rename the lake would be seen as an act of erasing Indigenous heritage for political gain.

The Trump administration has also taken steps to ensure that this process can be repeated, by instructing agency heads to consider replacing appointees to the Board on Geographic Names, which is responsible for determining federal map designations. This move could potentially pave the way for further renaming of geographical features, such as Greenland, under the pretext of honoring national heritage.

While the U.S. may have the power to rename features, it is essential to recognize that renaming does not equate to annexation or territorial control. Canada and other countries will continue to refer to Lake Ontario by its original name, and the Gulf of Mexico will remain the Gulf of Mexico. However, Trump's renaming efforts should serve as a reminder that maps are not merely tools for navigation, but also instruments of political power and cultural assertion.