Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America'
President Trump has signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' following a breakdown in trade negotiations with Canada. The move has been met with strong pushback from Canadian officials, who maintain the name will remain unchanged.
Why it matters
This symbolic action reflects the deteriorating diplomatic and trade relationship between the United States and Canada.
Sitting near a map with the name "Lake America" over the body of water, Trump said "entitled" Canada has been difficult to deal with and repeated claims the country was ripping off the United States.
"They want to be treated like a state, but they are not a state," Trump said.
When asked why he was targeting American allies with these types of actions instead of American adversaries, Trump said, "they haven't treated us well."
"The Canadian officials have treated us very badly," Trump said. "They are nasty people."
A map labelling Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' is seen behind U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Tensions between the two countries have escalated since trade negotiations fell apart on Friday. Both countries have accused each other of implementing 11th-hour changes.
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