Trump orders Lake Ontario to be renamed Lake America as US-Canada trade talks collapse

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America," amid rising trade tensions with Canada following the collapse of negotiations. The new name was a long-standing idea, according to the president. He suggested that the US might also rename nearby water bodies such as the Gulf of Mexico and the oceans of America and Pacific.

Trump previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," a move that caused criticism and ridicule in Mexico and prompted a broader discussion about the ability of a US president to change the names of bodies of water shared with other nations. Despite this, some US tech companies, like Google, have updated their maps to reflect the name change for US users only.

As of Thursday afternoon, Lake Ontario's name had not been officially changed online. These changes came after three days of failed trade talks last week, with both Washington and Ottawa blaming each other for the breakdown. The US imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, while Canada vowed to retaliate with dollar-for-dollar tariffs on US goods.

Additionally, Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on vehicles and car parts coming from Canada, citing the economic losses the US economy has suffered by "carrying Canada." The new tariffs affect hundreds of Canadian goods, including plywood, liquor, electrical equipment, and hockey gear, impacting around 5 percent of Canada's exports to the US.

Canada vowed to respond "dollar for dollar" with retaliatory measures on US steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, electronics, and other goods.