President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Trump signed the executive order in the Oval Office on Thursday, Aug. 27 and said the move is official and effective immediately. The executive order came after trade talks between the two countries broke down, with both sides calling for higher tariffs.
The White House also shared a graphic of the name change moments after Trump signed the order.
"As you know Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade," Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. "It has to come to a stop."
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZFww8PexiW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2026
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request
for comment, reported Reuters.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford previously said in Aug. 25interview with CNN that Trump’s proposed name change was “a lot of rhetoric,” while stressing the province’s economic ties to the United States.
"Lake of America is something I've been thinking about for a long time," Trump said as he signed the executive order.
Trump’s announcement came after trade talks between the two countries collapsed Aug. 22. That’s the day tariffs rose 50% on about 5% of Canadian imports such as wine, dairy, hockey sticks and cement, reported USA TODAY.Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes separating the United States and Canada, with the international border running through the middle of each waterway, and is a key shipping route to the Atlantic Ocean.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America
