'It is Lake Ontario and it won’t change,' business owners in Niagara region respond to Trump renaming lake

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that the majority of Americans do not support President Donald Trump's decision to raise taxes on imported goods from Canada and rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." Approximately 20% of respondents backed the higher tariffs, while 57% opposed them, and 21% were undecided. Most Americans, about one in five, were unaware of the developments.

The poll, which surveyed 1,023 US adults, highlights financial strain on US households due to rising gasoline prices following Trump's Iran war and living costs as the top concern for voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Trump's Republican allies will be defending their seats in the elections, with his approval rating at an all-time low.

The renaming of Lake Ontario was a theatrical move; Trump's designation applies only to US federal usage and does not dictate how Canada, international bodies, or other organizations refer to the lake. This renaming, reminiscent of past moves to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," adds to the escalating trade feud between the US and Canada, which has been a key trading partner for decades.