Washington — President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” making good on a threat he made on social media earlier this week.
“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” the president said before he signed the order.
On Truth Social, the president said this week that the U.S. was giving “serious consideration” to changing the name and posted a map that crossed out the label “Lake Ontario.” He also said the U.S. doesn’t expect to be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.” The announcement in the Oval Office Thursday is the president’s latest move amid his trade war with Canada.
The order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the name change. The GNIS works with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to standardize geographic names for federal use. The president can’t force other countries or international bodies to call it “Lake America,” but he can require the federal government to do so.
Mr. Trump was asked what message he’s sending to Canada with this executive order.
“No message,” he said, but added, “As you know, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very, very sadly. Even the military. You know, we defend Canada for nothing.”
Canada has yet to respond to the executive order.
The name “Ontario” has Indigenous roots. The word comes from the Iroquoian word “oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining waters,” according to the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
On Saturday, 50% tariffs on some Canadian imports like wine and dairy kicked in, and on Monday, the president announced 50% tariffs on all Canadian steel and automotive imports starting in January.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that starting Sept. 8, Canada will begin imposing matching tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars of U.S. goods.
Mr. Trump also sought to change North America’s highest mountain peak, Denali in Alaska, back to Mount McKinley. Although the federal government can’t force other countries or private businesses to recognize the GNIS, when Mr. Trump sought to change the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” some private entities adopted the new name.
Still, the White House punished the Associated Press after it declined to use “Gulf of America,” restricting its reporters’ access to White House and presidential spaces available to other news outlets.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump threatened to rename an ocean, too.
“Now all we need is an ocean,” he said. “So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and—or— the Pacific.”
