Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14420, declaring that Lake Ontario be known as ‘Lake America’ for all official U.S. government usage.

Context for Renaming

The executive order was issued after a collapse of trade talks between the United States and Canada late the previous week. Trump’s administration has framed the renaming as a recognition of the United States’ contribution to the Great Lakes region.

Canadian Reaction

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly rebuffed the move, citing the lake’s Indigenous name derived from the Wendat word *Ontari’io* meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.” He emphasized that the historic name would endure “then, now, and always.”

Further Escalations

The renaming came as the U.S. and Canada had already imposed tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross‑border trade. Analysts suggest the order serves as a symbolic gesture to accentuate U.S. primacy in the region.