Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario, Carney: It will remain Ontario today and forever

Another clash has erupted between the United States and Canada after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted immediately, insisting that the lake’s name would not change in Canada.

“Canadians know that things should be called by their legal names, and this lake is called Lake Ontario, today and forever,” Carney wrote on the X platform.

Carney pointed out that the lake’s name has been used for more than 400 years, long before the creation of the Canadian Confederation and the United States Declaration of Independence.

The order was signed by Trump at the White House. A map also appeared in the Oval Office showing the lake labeled “Lake America” in large red letters.

According to the executive document, the United States is the “greatest protector of the Great Lakes.” It also claims that the U.S. owns the largest share of Lake Ontario’s volume, as its deepest sections are located in U.S. territory.

Despite the U.S. president’s order, the new name does not constitute an internationally recognized change. Canada will continue to officially recognize it as Lake Ontario.

Trump hinted that there could be further changes to geographical names.

“We have a gulf and we have a lake. All we’re missing is an ocean. So, we could change the name of the Atlantic or the Pacific. We could change both,” the U.S. president said.

In the first months of his second term, Trump had also ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” He has also repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

The decision regarding Lake Ontario comes at a time when relations between Washington and Ottawa have deteriorated significantly, mainly because of trade disputes.

Trump has accused Canada of treating the United States unfairly and has directed strong criticism at Canadian authorities.

Meanwhile, Washington is preparing to impose new tariffs on some Canadian products after Ottawa suspended trade negotiations.

Trump’s latest move could further worsen the clash between the two countries, at a time when Canada had hoped for a resumption of trade dialogue.