US President Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed Lake America amid escalating trade dispute with Canada

This executive order was signed at the White House as trade tensions between the two North American neighbors intensify. Trump stated that Canadian officials have treated the US "very badly" and called them "nasty people," identifying Canada as the most difficult country to deal with on trade. The decision follows the collapse of US-Canada trade talks and the implementation of reciprocal tariffs.

This move mirrors a previous action by Trump in January 2025, when he unilaterally changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Trump also hinted at renaming the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Lake Ontario, the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area, borders Canada's Ontario province and New York state.

Its name is derived from the indigenous Huron word "Ontari’io," meaning "great lake" or "beautiful water." Toronto, Canada's largest city, is located on its northwestern shore. During his second presidential term, Trump has made other territorial claims, including suggesting Canada become the 51st US state, claiming Greenland, and proposing Venezuela become a US state, in addition to making the Strait of Hormuz a US territory.