Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, as part of his escalating trade war with Canada. The order mandates federal agencies to adopt the new name on US maps, documents, and databases. However, Trump lacks authority to rename Canada's portion of the lake or compel international bodies to adopt the new name.

The move follows a similar action when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" on his first day in office. Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, rejected the attempt, noting that the lake's name originates from the Indigenous Wendat language and predates both Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Several US governors in the Great Lakes region, including Kathy Hochul and Gretchen Whitmer, dismissed the name change. The tensions between the US and Canada have risen due to increased trade disputes, with Trump imposing tariffs on Canadian goods and threatening further duties on Canadian steel, trucks, cars, and auto parts.