Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ in U.S.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' within the United States as part of an escalating trade dispute with Canada. The move follows the imposition of 50% tariffs on Canadian goods and reflects a broader pattern of nationalist rhetoric.
Why it matters
The symbolic renaming highlights the intensity of current US-Canada trade tensions and the use of executive power to project nationalist sentiment in international relations.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday (August 27, 2026) that he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States as he exacerbates his trade war with Canada.
The Republican President signed an executive order that updated the lake's name for the U.S. geographic naming service. Mr. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however.
Mr. Trump has been floating the idea of the name change in recent days as the U.S. announced it was imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down.
Mr. Trump has been needling America’s northern neighbour since he returned to the White House last year, suggesting the ally with whom the U.S. once had warm relations should instead be absorbed as the 51st state.
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