Trump wants “Lake America.” Canada is not going to comply

Lake Ontario belongs to the Great Lakes region located on the border of the United States and Canada. Its shores can be seen, among others, from Toronto, and the reservoir itself is one of the most recognizable landscape elements in this part of North America. Soon, however, travelers using American maps and official documents may encounter a completely different name. Donald Trump signed an executive order calling Ontario “Lake America.”

Trump renames the lake

Donald Trump signed an executive order ordering the Department of the Interior to change the name of Lake Ontario in the US system of geographic names. On August 27, during a ceremony in the Oval Office, a map of the Great Lakes was placed behind the president, with the words “Lake America” ​​written in red above Ontario. According to AP News, Trump himself stated that the decision is official, although the document gives the administration 30 days to implement it.

This is not the first time the American administration has decided to take such a step. Earlier, in early 2025, Trump decided to “rename” the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf.

Canada has a different opinion

Trump’s change, however, does not mean that the name will disappear from maps on the other side of the border. Canada is not obliged to comply with the White House’s decision, and local politicians have already announced that they will continue to use the name Ontario. A similar position was taken by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who stated that her state also did not intend to use the new name.

Trump also suggested more radical steps in the future. “If you think about it, we already have a bay and we have a lake. Now we just need an ocean. Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic or the Pacific,” said the President of the United States in the Oval Office.