Trump Signs Order Renaming Lake Ontario 'Lake America'; Canada, State and Provincial Officials Push Back

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, August 27, 2026, directing the U.S. federal government to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America.' The order instructs federal agencies, including the Interior Department, to update the Geographic Names Information System and adopt the new name across U.S. maps, documents and databases. The move came amid an escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada. Multiple outlets reported that Trump has no legal authority to rename Canada's portion of the lake, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border, nor to compel Canada, international legal bodies, or global mapmakers to adopt the change. Canadian officials rejected the renaming. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by erecting a large billboard declaring "Lake Ontario," and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also rejected the attempt to rename the lake. Several U.S. state officials likewise pushed back: Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers mocked the move, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a blunt rejection of the executive order. The renaming applies only within U.S. federal databases and mapping systems and does not alter the lake's internationally recognized name or its status as a shared U.S.-Canada waterway. As of the latest reporting, the executive order remains in effect for U.S. federal purposes, with the Interior Department tasked with implementing the name change in official U.S. geographic records. Canada has not adopted the new name, and the lake continues to be referred to as Lake Ontario internationally and within Canadian government usage. It remains unresolved how the naming discrepancy will affect cross-border mapping, shipping, or environmental agreements that reference the lake, and no timeline has been reported for resolving the dispute amid the broader U.S.-Canada trade tensions.