Trump moves to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America"
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump speaks during an event at the White House on August 24, 2026. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
President Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on Thursday.
Why it matters: The president is following through on his threat over the lake after U.S.-Canada trade negotiations collapsed.
- The collapse triggered 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, with Canada announcing matching tariffs set to take effect Sept. 8.
Catch up quick: Trump has repeatedly posted on social media in recent days about renaming the lake, once writing that America doesn't "expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer."
- He's also posted images showing the lake renamed "Lake America."
By the numbers: Roughly 47% of the lake that straddles the border with the Canadian province of Ontario lies within the U.S.
What they're saying: "The United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario," Trump wrote in the executive order.
- "The Lake will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America's future and the global economy. 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."
How it works: The order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his department to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming of the Lake within 30 days.
- It requires all federal government references to the lake refer to the body of water as "Lake America" moving forward.
The big picture: It is unclear whether Trump has the authority to rename a body of water shared between two nations, as he did last year when he signed a similar order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."
- The order can't compel Canada to call the shared body of water "Lake America," and Canadian officials have said they won't.
Context: Lake Ontario was named long before the Canadian province of Ontario was established, and its name is an anglicized version of an Indigenous word.
Go deeper: "Lake America": Trump turns Canada feud toward Lake Ontario
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
