Lake Ontario: the lake Donald Trump wants to rename ‘Lake America’ amid tariff woes with Canada
Amidst escalating trade tensions with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'. Major tech companies like Apple and Google have updated their map services to reflect this change for U.S. users.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the intersection of geopolitical trade disputes and the influence of private tech platforms on public perception and geographical naming conventions.
With his trade war with Canada intensifying, U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America”. The suggestion mirrors his move last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Apple on Tuesday (September 2, 2026) changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on the web version of its Apple Maps. Apple’s decision comes after Alphabet late on Saturday (August 30) changed the name of the lake on its Google Maps for U.S. users . Here’s a look at Mr. Trump’s post and the significance of the lake’s name.
Mr. Trump sharpened his rhetoric after Canada announced a fresh round of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. good s following the collapse of trade talks between the traditionally close allies on Friday (August 21).
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