Trump signs executive order for U.S. to call Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, fulfilling a social media threat he made earlier in the week. The change becomes effective immediately. The order instructs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the new name.

While the president cannot compel other nations or international bodies to adopt the new name, he can mandate the federal government to do so. The president's motive behind the name change was criticized as retaliation for perceived unfair trade practices and military aid provided by Canada. No response has been received from Canada yet.

In retaliation, Canada has imposed 50% tariffs on certain U.S. exports, including wine, dairy, steel, and automotive products. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the country would start imposing matching tariffs against U.S. goods from September 8. The federal government's authority to enforce this name change is limited, but some private entities have already started using the new name.

Trump previously attempted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and the tallest peak in North America, Denali, back to Mount McKinley.