U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is seriously considering renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a symbolic escalation in a deepening trade dispute with Canada. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump linked the proposal to the collapse of bilateral trade negotiations last week.
The rhetoric accompanies concrete economic measures. The Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs over the weekend on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, covering 5.5 percent of Canadian exports including wine, dairy, and hockey equipment. Trump has also threatened similar tariffs on vehicles and steel beginning January 2027. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Washington of attempting to subordinate his country, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut electricity and mineral shipments to the United States.
Canada plans to announce retaliatory tariffs matching the U.S. measures dollar-for-dollar, scheduled to take effect September 8. Trump previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, a change reflected in Google's U.S. maps since February 2025.