Donald Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America

U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on threats to rename Lake Ontario on Thursday, signing an executive order to rename the body of water shared by Canada as "Lake America."

The executive order states that the renaming takes effect "immediately," and follows a heated war of words between the U.S. president and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Obviously, Canadians aren't going to acknowledge the new name, and Lake Ontario will remain on maps viewed on platforms north of the border, though the move can also be interpreted as the latest salvo in an increasingly blatant ploy to deconstruct Canadian identity and potentially even sovereignty.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZFww8PexiW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2026

In 2025, Trump signed a similar executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," a name that has not yet seen widespread adoption outside of hardline Trump supporters.