U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America as tensions with Canada worsen following the collapse of trade talks.
Sitting near a map with the name “Lake America” over the body of water, Trump said Canada has been difficult to deal with and repeated claims the country was ripping off the United States.
“They want to be treated like a state, but they are not a state,” Trump said.
When asked why he was targeting American allies with these types of actions instead of American adversaries, Trump said, “They haven’t treated us well.”
“The Canadian officials have treated us very badly,” Trump said. “They are nasty people.”
Tensions between the two countries have escalated since trade negotiations fell apart on Friday. Both countries have accused each other of implementing eleventh-hour changes.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the agreement became untenable. The federal government unveiled its retaliatory measures, set to go into place next month, on Tuesday.
Trump first threatened to rename the body of water during an escalating war of words with Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The two exchanged insults, with Ford calling the president a bully, among other things, and Trump saying the premier was a “less charismatic, intelligent” version of his late brother, Rob.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — who previously was governor of border state North Dakota — posted on social media, “The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States.” He said he’s proud to enact the name change.
In Canada, the move prompted incredulity, with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston posting on social media that “we’re into some real foolishness now.”
“It’s Lake Ontario, buddy,” Houston said.
Lake Ontario — one of the five Great Lakes — is located between Ontario and New York. The Canadian province is named after the lake.
The Center for Great Lakes Literacy says on its website that Lake Ontario’s name comes from the Iroquoian word “oniatari:io” and means “lake of shining waters.”
Trump pointed to his decision in 2025 to sign an executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and mused that maybe next he’ll change the name of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.
The name change only applies to U.S. federal documents and geographic services, but some online map services and American news agencies also made the change to the Gulf of Mexico name.
The geographic controversy led to the White House removing The Associated Press from certain duties covering the president after the news service did not use “Gulf of America” in its reporting.
The Associated Press took the White House to court in a dust-up that led to press secretary Karoline Leavitt ripping many authorities away from the White House Correspondents’ Association, the organization of journalists who cover the president.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2026.
— With files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa.
By Kelly Geraldine Malone | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.