Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America amid Canada trade war

On August 27, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for official federal use, escalating a trade war with Canada. The move follows the collapse of trade talks and the imposition of reciprocal 50% tariffs on $20 billion of goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul rejected the change, calling it 'real foolishness' and asserting the lake's name will remain Lake Ontario.

Lake Ontario renaming executive order

• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 27, 2026, renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for official U.S. federal government usage.
• ▪The executive order signed on August 27, 2026, states that the United States has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem over the last decade.
• ▪The executive order signed on August 27, 2026, notes that the United States Coast Guard supplies nine of the 11 ice-breaking vessels operating on the Great Lakes.
• ▪The executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on August 27, 2026, directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to update Lake Ontario's name in the federal geographic naming service within 30 days.

U.S.-Canada trade war escalation

• ▪Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that trade negotiations faltered over proposed U.S. changes affecting Canada's French-language rules, tariff relief on trucks, and demands to curtail Canada's trade-deal abilities.
• ▪U.S. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine pushed back against the Trump administration's tariffs on Canada, calling the import taxes a mistake.
• ▪Canada retaliated against U.S. tariffs by imposing its own tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances, and farm equipment.
• ▪The renaming of Lake Ontario occurred amid an escalating trade war after U.S.-Canada trade negotiations collapsed, leading to a 50% U.S. tariff on $20 billion of Canadian goods.

Canadian government response

• ▪Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Nation in Quebec condemned the name change, accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of trying to erase Indigenous history.
• ▪Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the name change, stating that Canadians will continue to call the body of water Lake Ontario 'now and always.'
• ▪Ontario Premier Doug Ford dismissed the executive order, stating that the body of water will always be Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world.
• ▪Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston criticized the name change, calling the decision 'real foolishness' and addressing U.S. President Donald Trump as 'buddy.'

New York state opposition

• ▪U.S. Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan criticized the decision, stating that Canada is an ally and neighbor whose friendship cannot be erased by the stroke of a pen.
• ▪New York Governor Kathy Hochul opposed the name change, stating on social media that New York State will not use the name 'Lake America' for the border lake.

Federal geographic naming authority

• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on August 27, 2026, that he might consider renaming the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the future.
• ▪The executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump applies only to U.S. federal government usage and does not govern what Canada, international bodies, or other organizations call the lake.

Gulf of Mexico precedent

• ▪In January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America' for official U.S. federal use.
• ▪The geographic controversy over the Gulf of Mexico renaming led the White House to remove The Associated Press from certain presidential coverage duties after the news service did not use the name 'Gulf of America.'
• ▪Following the January 2025 order, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names updated the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System within approximately two weeks.

7 sources