‘Sad and pathetic’: U.S. politicians condemn Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario

US politicians and residents have reacted with dismay and ridicule to President Donald Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America". The US Senate minority leader described Trump's move as playing games with a map while Rochester families deal with the impacts of a trade war.

Indigenous leaders and advocates also expressed outrage over the name change, which was formalized through an executive order signed by Trump. The order directed the US Department of the Interior and the US Board on Geographic Names to implement the change within 30 days.

Residents on the New York shoreline of Lake Ontario have stated they will continue to refer to the lake by its familiar name. According to the Winnipeg Free Press, some people laughed at the proposed name change, with one resident saying she wanted the lake to "stay Lake Ontario because it's part of our history". The lake has been known as Lake Ontario since before the founding of both the United States and Canada.

Brief written by urgent.news from National Post, Winnipeg Free Press, Punch Nigeria — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.