Trump Orders U.S. Agencies to Call Lake Ontario “Lake America”

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the U.S. federal government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” according to NPR and The Guardian. The order instructs federal agencies to use the new name in U.S. maps, documents and databases. It does not give the administration authority over Canada’s portion of the lake, and it cannot require Canada, international legal bodies, international mapmakers or other countries to recognize the change. The lake borders New York and Canada. The Guardian reported that an administration official pointed to the lake’s larger volume being in the United States and its deepest section being in U.S. territory. A map of the Great Lakes displayed behind Trump in the Oval Office showed “Lake America” above the body of water previously known as Lake Ontario. The announcement came as relations between Washington and Ottawa deteriorated during an escalating trade dispute. The Guardian reported that weekend trade talks had collapsed, after which the United States imposed a 50% tariff on some Canadian imports. Trump also threatened additional 50% tariffs on Canadian steel, trucks, cars and auto parts in the new year. Canada responded with tariffs ranging from 25% to 50% on hundreds of U.S. goods. Trump has also previously suggested that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, a proposal that has angered Canadians, according to The Guardian. During the signing, he said Canada wanted to be treated like a state but was not one. The president described the renaming as something he had considered for a long time and said it was effective immediately. The move follows an earlier action by Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” according to The Guardian.