Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday officially renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, with the change set to take effect immediately. According to a White House aide, the order directs the Department of the Interior and Secretary Doug Burgum to carry out the renaming process.

A Lake Shared Across Borders

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and sits along the border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. Given its status as a shared body of water between the two countries, the decision could raise diplomatic questions, though Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the announcement.

Timing Amid Strained US-Canada Relations

The renaming comes just days after trade talks between the United States and Canada broke down, with both sides blaming each other for the collapse of what had been three days of intensive negotiations. The timing of the executive order, so soon after the failed talks, adds another point of tension to the already strained relationship between the two neighboring countries.