Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, August 27, 2026, directing the U.S. federal government to refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America, effective immediately. The action, taken during a ceremony in the Oval Office, represents the latest escalation in a deepening trade dispute between the United States and Canada. The order instructs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System, the federal database that standardizes names for U.S. government use. Trump announced the change before signing, stating, "We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America.