Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’

US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid escalating trade tensions with Canada, according to his social media post. The threat echoes a similar move he made last year, renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The statement, made on his Truth Social network, came as Canada imposed additional tariffs on US goods following the breakdown of trade talks.

Trump claimed the name change would reflect reduced trade activity with Ontario, a Canadian province that shares the lake's northern shore with the US state of New York. The lake, one of the five Great Lakes, is also named after Canada's most populous province. Pro-Trump social media accounts amplified the map featuring the proposed name change, which Trump claimed the US was seriously considering.

This latest move is part of Trump's ongoing push for Canada to become the 51st US state and the ongoing trade war between the two nations. The spat also highlights a personal disagreement between Trump and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who had threatened a surcharge on exported electricity. Throughout his second term, Trump has made several territorial claims that have strained relations with allies, most notably when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America shortly after taking office.