Trump Threatens to Rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’
Trump announced the U.S. is considering renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" after Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut electricity and mineral exports amid escalating tariff disputes.
The move, revealed by Ryan King in New York Post, represents a direct response to Ontario Premier Doug Ford‘s increasingly aggressive posture in the ongoing tariff dispute between Washington and Ottawa.
Trump made the declaration on Truth Social on Tuesday, stating that America does not expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer given the province’s hostile stance. The announcement mirrors his first-day executive action last year renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, a decision he has repeatedly highlighted throughout his second term.
Tariff War Intensifies
The Lake Ontario proposal comes as trade negotiations between the United States and Canada have completely broken down. Following the collapse of talks last week, Trump imposed a punishing 50 percent tariff on Canadian imports including beer, cheese, electronics, and numerous other goods.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged retaliatory measures, while Ford has adopted an especially confrontational approach. The Ontario premier told the Associated Press that his province is prepared to use energy and natural resources as economic weapons against the United States.
Ford emphasized that Ontario currently powers 1.5 million American homes and businesses, warning that everything is on the table if the trade conflict continues to deteriorate. The premier vowed to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario’s interests.
Language Dispute Denied
Carney has claimed that last-minute American demands regarding Quebec’s use of French rather than English contributed to the breakdown of negotiations. Trump flatly rejected this allegation on Monday, calling it a lie fabricated by a weak and ineffective prime minister attempting to salvage political support in Quebec.
The president insisted he would never interfere with Canadians speaking French and had never even considered such action, expressing support for French Canadians.
Lake Ontario borders upstate New York and is one of the five Great Lakes shared between the United States and Canada. The potential renaming would mark another symbolic assertion of American sovereignty over shared geographic features during Trump’s ongoing economic confrontation with Ottawa.
With information from New York Post
