Monroe County Executive Adam Bello pushed back Tuesday against President Donald Trump's suggestion that Lake Ontario could be renamed "Lake America."
"There are plenty of things that actually deserve our attention, renaming Lake Ontario isn’t one of them," Bello said in a statement. "So, for the record, Lake Ontario will remain Lake Ontario. Ontario Beach Park will remain Ontario Beach Park. The Genesee River is safe. So is the Erie Canal."
Bello said the region's longstanding names have "served us pretty well for centuries."
"The President should focus his attention on what people actually care about, like making life more affordable or protecting their health care," Bello said. "Lake Ontario’s name is doing just fine."
Trump suggests renaming Lake Ontario
Trump shared his proposal
Tuesday morning in a Truth Social post, saying the United States is "giving serious consideration" to changing the lake's name to "Lake America."
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area and forms part of the international border between the United States and Canada. It has a maximum depth of 802 feet and an average depth of 283 feet, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The lake covers about 7,340 square miles, with shorelines in New York and Ontario, Canada.
What did Trump say?
Trump's post read:
"The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
The proposal comes as Trump continues to escalate trade tensions with Canada following the collapse of negotiations between the two countries over the weekend.
On Monday, Trump announced plans to double tariffs on imported automobiles and auto parts from Canada to 50%.
Trump previously renamed Gulf of Mexico
Trump made a similar naming change involving another major body of water last year.
In 2025, Trump ordered federal agencies to use "Gulf of America" instead of "Gulf of Mexico" in federal documents and maps. Google Maps also displays "Gulf of America" for users in the United States.
Contributing: USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester-area official has a message for Trump about renaming Lake Ontario
