WATCH: Trump signs order changing Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he plans to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" within the United States, as he escalates his trade dispute with Canada. Despite not being able to coerce Canada to adopt the same name, Trump has been discussing the change in recent days, following the imposition of 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods by the U.S. in response to talks between the two countries breaking down.

Over Lake Ontario, a large sign behind Trump displayed the new name, "Lake America," alongside another map showing "MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the move, emphasizing the lake's indigenous origins and its pre-existing names. Ontario Premier Doug Ford dismissed the prospect of the name change as "rhetoric," while Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston called it "real foolishness."

Trump argued that Canada has been "ripping us off" in trade and military matters, asserting that the country is not a state and should not be treated as such. The president signed the order, which he claimed would be effective immediately, and suggested that his efforts to rename water bodies might not stop at Lake Ontario, hinting at potential changes to the names of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.