Trump proposes renaming Lake Ontario amid Canada trade war

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he is considering renaming Lake Ontario, which borders the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, to "Lake America," citing the ongoing trade dispute with Canada. The proposal, posted on Truth Social, follows the imposition of 50% tariffs on Canadian goods and a war of words between Trump and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Source: ABC.es Source: Milenio

The trade dispute

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian products worth about $20 billion, and Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian automobiles, trucks, parts, and steel to 50% starting January 1, 2027. Source: Infobae Source: El Mundo Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs, with Prime Minister Mark Carney vowing to respond "dollar for dollar" and imposing tariffs on US goods starting September 8. Source: Listín Diario Source: Infobae

The war of words

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is a hub for Canada's auto industry, told Trump he could "kiss my ass," calling him a "bully," "dictator," and "loser." Trump responded by calling Ford a "lackey" and the "less charismatic, intelligent, and generally unimpressive" brother of the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Source: El Español Source: El Caribe Trump also accused Carney of inventing a "lie" about interfering with French-speaking Canadians, saying he "loves" francophone Canadians. Source: Listín Diario

Reactions

Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly rejected the renaming threat, saying, "We will always call it Lake Ontario... We are proud of our Great Lakes." Source: El Caribe Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the federal government has decided not to respond to daily social media posts from the US. Source: Infobae The renaming proposal echoes Trump's 2025 executive order to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." Source: Milenio Source: Heraldo de México