Trump renames Lake Ontario as Lake America
The change applies only to the U.S. federal government; Canada will keep using Lake Ontario.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade standoff with Canada. Trump said the change takes effect immediately for use by the U.S. federal government. Asked what message he had for Canada, he accused the country’s officials of treating the U.S. badly. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the move and said the lake will remain “today and forever” Lake Ontario. The Great Lakes body lies on the border between the two countries; about 52 percent of its surface area is in Canada, with the rest in New York state. The move came after an Aug. 22 deadline to avoid 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods failed to produce a deal, and Ottawa responded with taxes on about 700 U.S. products.