U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” adding to growing tensions between Canada and the United States.
Speaking beside a map showing the new name, Trump criticized Canada, calling its officials “nasty people” and repeating claims that the country has treated the U.S. unfairly.
The move comes days after trade talks between the two countries collapsed. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced retaliatory tariffs set to take effect on Sept. 8.
Canadian leaders quickly rejected the name change. Carney said Canadians will call it Lake Ontario “now and always,” while Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston called the decision “real foolishness.” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew dismissed it as a political stunt.
Lake Ontario sits between Ontario and New York and is one of the five Great Lakes. Its name comes from the Huron word oniatarí:io, meaning “lake of shining waters,” and has been used for more than 400 years.
The order follows Trump’s earlier decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for U.S. federal use.
