Trump Renames Lake Ontario 'Lake America' Amid Escalating Trade War
Executive order updates federal naming conventions, drawing sharp rebuke from Canadian Premier Doug Ford.
Carla Rooney
President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America."
Trump declared the rebranding enacted because 'we don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer,' a rationale he offered while giving 'serious consideration' to the name change.
The U.S. imposed 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods after trade talks collapsed. The president announced the tariff increase following the failure to reach a trade deal on Friday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with retaliatory levies of up to 50 percent, further escalating the economic conflict.
We don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer.
Trump described Ontario Premier Doug Ford as a blustering 'flunky' who needs to 'fall in line.'
The directive holds no authority over Canada or private citizens; Canada will almost certainly reject the name change.
The International Hydrographic Organization, of which both the U.S. and Canada are members, works to standardize the surveying and charting of the world's waters. However, no single international body determines names of international bodies of water.
Donald Trump has a history of using Sharpie markers, including an incident where he reportedly altered a weather chart to include Alabama in the projected path of Hurricane Dorian.
Trump indicated that The renaming was 'official, effective immediately' and that his administration had 'filed all the necessary papers, documents.'.
This largely symbolic move comes amid an escalating trade war with Canada that shows no signs of ending.
Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, despite his claim that the renaming was 'official, effective immediately' and that his administration had 'filed all the necessary papers, documents.'