US President Donald Trump has officially renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America through an executive order signed on Thursday. The decision applies only to US federal use of the name and does not force Canada or other countries to follow it. About 52 percent of the lake’s surface sits in Canada, while the rest borders New York State.
Trump announced the change in the Oval Office, saying he had considered the idea for a long time. He also floated the possibility of renaming the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean in the future, joking that after changing a gulf and a lake, an ocean would complete the set. This move comes after he previously ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America in early 2025.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quickly rejected the new name. He noted that Lake Ontario has carried its title for more than 400 years, long before either Canada or the United States existed as nations. Carney stated that Canadians will continue calling it Lake Ontario now and always. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also confirmed her state would stick with the traditional name. Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott described the decision as petty and disappointing.
Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Nation in Quebec condemned the change. He explained that the original name comes from the Wendat language and means “the lake is beautiful, great.” Picard accused Trump of trying to erase Indigenous history and expressed deep outrage.
The renaming arrives amid already tense relations between the United States and Canada. Trade talks between the two countries collapsed last week after disagreements over tariffs, truck rules, and language protections. Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada could become the 51st US state, an idea Canadian leaders have firmly dismissed. Many Canadians see the lake renaming as another unnecessary provocation that will not help future negotiations.
A recent poll showed 72 percent of Americans still hold a favorable view of Canada, far higher than Trump’s own approval ratings. Despite the federal order, international maps, Canadian authorities, and most local residents are expected to keep using the historic name Lake Ontario.
