WINDSOR, Ontario — With his trade war with Canada intensifying, U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of renaming Lake Ontario to become “Lake America. America’s northern neighbors quickly panned the idea.
“He can blow out his hole as much as he wants to, but it’s never going to happen, because Canadians are strong,” said Patricia Wiseman, an Ontario resident, as she walked along the waterfront of Lake Erie.
Trump introduced the idea of renaming the easternmost area of the Great Lakes hours before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s scheduled announcement of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports into his country. It may be more complicated than that. Trump has wide latitude over how the U.S. government recognizes geographic places and landmarks. But he cannot force Canada or individual citizens on either side of the border to follow his preferred naming conventions. “They’re going through as much turmoil as we are. Hopefully, one day we can reunite. “The more you hear it, it just gets downright infuriating.
The U.S. and Canada, which share borders along multiple Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, are locked in an extended trade dispute, with the Trump administration imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down. That ratcheted up lower tariffs that Trump imposed in 2025, shortly after his second presidency began. That’s in response to the Trump administration enacting 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down.
And his latest branding idea — reminiscent of his move to rechristen the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” — highlights how much his rhetoric and trade policy have sundered the previously warm relationship between Washington and Ottawa. “I believe the American people love us, and we love them,” Wiseman said. Trump has also threatened new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel, while Carney said U.S. trade demands showed that Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos , steel and aluminum. “It’s disappointing,” Ontario resident Paul Butler said of Trump’s policy and rhetoric. Earlier reporting noted: President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as the trade war between the United States and Canada intensifies.
Earlier reporting noted: Such a change would be reminiscent of the Republican president’s unilateral action last year by executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Earlier reporting noted: The United States and Canada are locked in a trade dispute, with Canada expected to announce retaliatory measures on Tuesday.
