Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America in US

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" across official US maps, databases, and documents.

The measure takes effect immediately within the United States. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump linked the decision to ongoing economic friction, stating that "Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade." The announcement follows the collapse of bilateral trade talks and the imposition of a 50% US tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, prompting Ottawa to plan retaliatory measures.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against the move, citing the name's Indigenous origins. The US directive carries no authority over Canada's portion of the shared lake or international mapping standards.

Sources: BBC News, Bloomberg, France24, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.