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General U.S. NewsAug 27, 2026·2 min read

Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America

B

BBC News – World

bbc.co.uk
Aug 27, 2026
Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America

Summary

Watch: Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. The move comes after trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed late last week, and the US imposed new 50% tariffs on $20bn (C$28bn) worth of Canadian goods. Canada will implement "dollar for dollar" counter tariffs next month. Trump has repeatedly posted threats about renaming the lake, one of the five Great Lakes that straddle both countries, on social media amid the trade dispute. He said on Thursday the move was "official, effective immediately" and that his administration has "filed all the necessary papers, documents" to make the change. Text of the executive order says it gives the US Department of the Interior 30 days to update the name change with the Geographic Names Information Service - the official repository of domestic geographic names in the US. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the name Lake Ontario can be traced back more than 400 years, adding in a social media post on Thursday that preceded the formation of the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence. Their trade relations, their foreign policy, their national monuments, their hydronyms," he wrote. Democratic lawmaker Debbie Dingell of Michigan, the US state that borders four of the five Great Lakes, said that she would introduce a bill in Congress to nullify the name change, calling Trump's order "idiotic". President!" "The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States," he said, adding that the US Geological Survey "maps our country for the world to see, and we are PROUD to implement your Executive Order to rename LAKE AMERICA".

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Trump's order comes after the trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed late last week.

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