President Donald Trump is trying to assert the U.S.'s dominance over the Great Lakes by signing an order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America while he feuds with Canada over trade, yet he remains deeply unpopular among Americans.
Americans gave Trump poor ratings across several recent polls, reaching as high as a 65% disapproval rating in an Aug. 21-24 Reuters/Ipsos poll. In Michigan, Trump fared slightly better, receiving a 57% disapproval rating for his job performance in an Aug. 27 Civiqs poll.
Real Clear Politics, which aggregates data from numerous polls, shows Trump's current average approval rating is 17.4 percentage points below his average disapproval rating — a slight improvement from the trend throughout August.
Trump's move to rename
Lake Ontario — among the region's five Great Lakes, as Lake America amid a trade war with Canada is drawing pushback from Democratic politicians in Michigan as well as others. Mapquest even offered a page for visitors to create their own name for the lake.
Here's what to know about Trump's approval ratings.
Did Trump rename Lake Ontario?
President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in an Aug. 27, a move that applies to U.S. federal maps and documents, but which may not affect how others refer to the lake. Trump previously issued an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America,but many still use the original name.
"With the deepest parts of the Lake’s waters lying within United States territory, the United States claims most of the Lake’s volume," reads his order signed Thursday, Aug. 27. "In recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America."
The order came amid tensions from the U.S.-Canada trade war, with new tariffs implemented following the collapse of trade negotiations.
How did the Economist/YouGov poll rank Trump?
Economist/YouGov:
- 57% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 36% approve
- The survey of 1,536 U.S. adults was conducted Aug. 21-24, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points.
How did the Rasmussen Reports poll rank Trump?
Rasmussen Reports:
- 56% disapprove of Trump, while 43% approve
- The poll results are from Aug. 28, 2026
The Rasmussen Reports survey did not break down party affiliation of respondents or Trump's approval ratings on policy issues.
How did the Reuters/Ipsos poll rank Trump?
Reuters/Ipsos:
- 65% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 33% approve
- 62% have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 33% have a favorable view
- The survey of 1,215 U.S. adults was conducted Aug. 21-24, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±2.9 percentage points.
How did the Morning Consult poll rank Trump?
Morning Consult:
- 54% disapprove of Trump, while 43% approve
- The survey of 2,200 registered U.S. voters was conducted the week ending on June 22, 2026, and has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.
How did the Civiqs poll rank Trump?
Civiqs:
- Nationwide, 59% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 35% approve
- In Michigan, 57% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 37% approve
- The online survey was compiled Aug. 27, 2026
Detroit Free Press contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: As Trump order renames Lake Ontario, how to Americans feel. See polls
