"Canadian Officials Are Nasty": Trump Renames Lake Ontario To "Lake America"

President Donald Trump announced the renaming of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America,' citing poor treatment by Canadian officials amid ongoing trade tensions. This move follows his previous renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America' and suggests potential future renamings of major oceans.
Why it matters
The announcement reflects a highly unconventional approach to international diplomacy and trade disputes, signaling a shift in how the U.S. executive branch asserts national identity in geopolitical relations.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is renaming Lake Ontario -- a large body of water shared by the United States and Canada -- "Lake America."Trump signed an order in the White House in a move that comes amid a spiraling trade war between the world's largest economy and its northern neighbour."We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario effective immediately to Lake America," the 80-year-old Republican told reporters in the Oval Office."The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They're nasty people."The name change -- which Canada is unlikely to accept -- mirrors Trump's changing of the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in January 2025."The lake change, Lake of America, was something I've been thinking about for a long time, actually. As you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico, we changed it, and now it's very routinely the Gulf of America," Trump said."So, if you think about it, we have a Gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean. So, maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them both."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The article uses a neutral, descriptive tone to report on a controversial executive action, explicitly noting that the content is from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the publisher.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in