A map labeling Lake Ontario as “Lake America” is displayed as U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter after signing an executive order during an event in the Oval Office.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America
President Trump has intensified his trade dispute with Canada by issuing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, located between New York and Canada, as Lake America.
The order, signed by Trump on Thursday, mandates the immediate renaming of the smallest of the Great Lakes, although it specifies that certain administrative procedures must be completed first. Last year, Trump took a similar action by renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
At the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump remarked, “We have a gulf, and we have a lake, now all we need is an ocean.”
Trump attributed the renaming decision to Canada, stating, “We deal with a lot of people, and people oftentimes they’ll ask me, ‘Who’s the worst to deal with on trade?’ And I said, ‘That’s easy, Canada. They are the worst to trade, and they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that.'”
This decision follows the collapse of trade negotiations and Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods, further escalating the trade conflict with the longstanding ally. In response, Canada has imposed counter-tariffs.
These tariffs are expected to increase the cost of goods for Americans, which are already high due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
This move has prompted some Republicans to oppose Trump, including Senator Susan Collins from Maine, who faces a challenging reelection campaign.
Earlier this week, she criticized the tariffs on Canada as a mistake.
