WASHINGTON — Americans overwhelmingly oppose President Donald Trump'srenaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America and the steep tariffs he imposed on imports from Canada, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll found 63% of respondents disapprove of Trump's renaming of the lake, compared to only 14% who said they support the move. Fifty-seven percent of Americans surveyed in the poll said they oppose Trump's tariffs on Canada, while 20% said they support the tariffs.
The nationwide poll, a survey of 1,023 U.S. adults conducted online from Aug. 28 to 30, has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Trump in August slapped sweeping 50% tariffs on many goods from Canada ‒
long one of the top trading partners of the U.S. ‒ after trade negotiations between the two countries fell apart. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney countered by hitting U.S. exports with tariffs ranging from 15% to 50%. Trump has threatened to also double tariffs on automobiles and auto parts from Canada from 25% to 50%.
Amid the trade war, Trump on Aug. 27 signed an executive order directing his administration to change the name of Lake Ontario, which borders both countries, to Lake America.
Google Maps and Apple Maps quickly changed the name on their platforms to Lake America in response to Trump's order. But Carney has said Canadians will continue referring to the lake as Lake Ontario, which dates back to the 17th century and derives from the Iroquois tribe's word "Ontarí'io," meaning "lake of shining waters."
Trump took similar action in his first year of his second term to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, but most of the global community as well as Mexico have not recognized the change.
Naming lakes, rivers and other geographic features in the United States is the responsibility of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which is made up of representatives from several federal agencies. Changing a name is typically the subject of a formal review process; however, the process was expedited with the president's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump's Lake America order required the Department of Interior and U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formalize the change within 30 days.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans overwhelmingly oppose Trump renaming Lake Ontario: New poll
