Trump renames Lake Ontario to Lake America

On August 27, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename Canada — Ontario as 'Lake America' in U.S. federal usage. The order, effective immediately for federal purposes, requires the United States — Geographic Names Information System to be updated within 30 days. The move is part of an escalating trade war with Canada, following the collapse of trade negotiations and the imposition of 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming, emphasizing the lake's 400-year-old Indigenous Wendat name and stating it will remain Canada — Ontario 'then, now and always.' Canada — Ontario Premier Doug Ford erected a billboard reading 'Canada — Ontario. Now and Always' along the lake's shore. Indigenous leaders, including Seneca Nation of Indians President J. Conrad Seneca and Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard, condemned the order as an erasure of Indigenous history and a violation of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. Several U.S. state officials, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and United States — Vermont Governor Phil Scott, also rejected the change. Trump suggested he might next rename the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. The order does not compel Canada or international bodies to adopt the new name, and the lake will have different official names in the U.S. and Canada.