() — After floating the idea on Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on Thursday renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
The White House announced the move on its X account:
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA!
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZFww8PexiW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2026
The eastern half of the United States is now bounded to the south by the “Gulf of America” and to the north by “Lake America.”
The directive came as Trump’s trade war with Canada – America’s second largest trading partner – has intensified.
“He can blow out his hole as much as he wants to, but it’s never going to happen, because Canadians are strong,” Ontario resident Patricia Wiseman told the Associated Press as she walked along the waterfront of the Detroit River.
Trump’s Executive Order explained that it is the policy of his administration “to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people and the rich heritage of our history by naming great natural landmarks for our shared achievements.”
“The United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario. Without the security and investment provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as it is today,” the Executive Order continued. “The United States Coast Guard supplies 9 of the 11 ice breaking vessels on the Great Lakes, securing commercial shipping lanes free of charge.”
“Trump also noted that the U.S. “has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period.”
The President further justified the move by pointing out that the deepest parts of the Lake’s waters lie within U.S. territory, making the U.S. able to claim most of the lake’s volume.
Trump briefly recounted the important role the lake had played in history and the crucial role it continues to play in the U.S. economy, supporting thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in annual economic output.
“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,” Trump said.
The Executive Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to update within 30 days the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming of the Lake and remove all references to Lake Ontario from the GNIS, consistent with applicable law.
