Lake Ontario to Become Lake America... U.S.-Canada Conflict Changes 400-Year-Old Lake Name

Executive Order Signed Just Two Days After Announcement
Name Change Reflected in US Geological Survey Records
New York Political Leaders Decry Move as "Absurd"

Bipartisan Support for Canada’s Strong Stance Against US
Trump Warns, "All We Need Now Is an Ocean"
Provocation Grows with Potential Renaming of Atlantic and Pacific

Former U.S. President Donald Trump's provocative remark to rename 'Lake Ontario,' which forms the border between the United States and Canada, to 'Lake America' has materialized as an actual executive order. As a result of the trade war between the two countries, a lake name that has been in use for more than 400 years is being changed. The rift in bilateral relations that has accumulated since the launch of Trump’s second administration last year is expected to deepen even further.

At the Executive Order Signing Ceremony, Trump criticizes Canada as "bad people"

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "America Lake" in the White House office on the 27th (local time). Photo by AFP/Getty Images

On the 27th (local time), President Trump signed an executive order at the White House to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. He said, "Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They are bad people," repeatedly claiming that Canada has been exploiting the United States. This came just two days after President Trump announced on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he was considering changing the lake's name.

The executive order signed that day stated that the deepest point of Lake Ontario lies within U.S. territory and argued that most of the rights to the lake's water should therefore belong to the United States. It also claimed that the United States plays the largest role in protecting the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario. Situated on the border of the Canadian province of Ontario and New York State in the U.S., Lake Ontario is the easternmost of the five major lakes in North America and has long served as a boundary between the two countries.

Under this executive order, the U.S. Department of the Interior must rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the official U.S. geographical naming system. President Trump has already revealed on Truth Social that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated its electronic records to reflect the new name, even releasing the related documents himself. However, he cannot force Canada to adopt the name 'Lake America.'

Just hours after Trump's executive order, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, "In the past, now, and in the future, it will always be called Lake Ontario." He emphasized that it is "a name more than 400 years old," predating the founding of the Canadian confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. He added, "We know America is changing—their trade relations, foreign policy, national monuments, even place names are changing, too."

There has also been backlash in the United States, especially in New York State, which borders Lake Ontario. New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the renaming proposal as "absurd," urging instead a focus on repairing relations with Canada. Democratic Representative Joe Morelle (New York) said it was "an attempt to shift attention away from the trade war," while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) called the move "sad and pathetic."

'Canadian Provocation' Seen Amid Escalation of U.S.-Canada Trade War

The Canadian flag is flying on the 26th at a large supermarket in the Buffalo area of New York State. Photo by AP Yonhap News

This measure is interpreted as a provocation intended to aggravate Canada in the midst of intensifying trade tensions between the two countries.

After recent trade negotiations with Canada collapsed, the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on about 20 billion dollars (approximately 27.8 trillion won) worth of Canadian imports on August 22. Affected goods include certain dairy products, alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine, hockey gear, machinery, textiles, cement, and furniture. Canada immediately announced retaliatory tariffs, and President Trump responded by implementing further tariffs. He declared that from January 1 next year, tariffs on automobiles, small and large trucks, auto parts, and steel will rise to 50%. The Canadian government has also raised its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum products to 50% and imposed new tariffs on dairy, furniture, clothing, and electronics.

Canada's ability to respond to the U.S. with "counter-tariffs" is backed by bipartisan support. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Liberal Party), Ontario Premier Doug Ford (Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario), and British Columbia Premier David Eby (British Columbia New Democratic Party) may differ in their political leanings but have united for a strong response against the U.S.

Public sentiment is also on the government's side. According to a recent poll released by the Angus Reid Institute on August 23, 76% of respondents evaluated the Canadian government's decision to halt trade negotiations and refuse a bad deal with the United States as the right choice. Only 13% said it was a wrong decision, while 11% responded that they were unsure. From the outset of Trump’s second term last year, he has sparked public resentment by claiming he would annex Canada as the 51st state of the United States.

Meanwhile, President Trump stated that day, "We have (Americanized) peninsulas and lakes; now all we need is an ocean," adding, "We may need to rename the Atlantic or Pacific. Maybe we will," hinting at the possibility of renaming even more geographical features.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.