President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
Trump announced the move in a Truth Social video, crossing out “Lake Ontario” on a map and writing the new name above it. He compared the decision to his earlier push to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change, saying the lake “is called Lake Ontario — today and forever.”
The order means U.S. federal maps, databases and government documents will use “Lake America,” but Canada, private companies and the public are not required to adopt the name.
The move comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada following the collapse of trade talks and new tariffs between the two countries.