Canadian official defies Trump following president’s claim US is giving ‘serious consideration’ to renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America,’ vowing, ‘We’ll fight back’
Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has pushed back against President Donald Trump after he said the United States is giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
Battle over Lake Ontario
“We’ll always call it Lake Ontario,” Joly told reporters as tensions between the United States and Canada continue to escalate amid stalled trade negotiations.
“We’re proud of the Great Lakes … and we’ll stand up for what we have,” she said. “I really think that, with all these shenanigans happening. We’ll just be smart and we’ll be strategic, and we’ll fight back.”
Trump floated the potential name change on Truth Social, suggesting it is being considered because the U.S. does not expect to be “doing much business with Ontario any longer.”
The president later shared a map on the social media platform showing the lake’s current name crossed out and replaced with “Lake America.”
The proposal comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa face renewed strain following the breakdown of trade talks and months of clashes between Trump and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Experts speak out
Derek Alderman, a cultural and historical geographer, told Newsweek that Canadians could view the proposed name change as part of a broader effort by the U.S. to flex its territorial influence.
“It is quite possible that Canadians could see the appropriation of Lake Ontario and its renaming as part of the larger effort on the part of the U.S. to exert its influence territorially,” Alderman said.
He added that the move appeared designed “to exert some advantage or strength in the trade war with Canada.”
Reuben Rose-Redwood, a geography professor at the University of Victoria, dismissed Trump’s suggestion as “pure rage bait” and a “well-worn move from the Trump playbook akin to calling Canada the ’51st State’ or renaming the Gulf of Mexico to capture media attention.”
“Trump’s threat to rename Lake Ontario is pure rage bait aimed at stoking anger among Canadians while distracting Americans from the fact that Trump overplayed his hand in the trade negotiations with Canada,” Rose-Redwood told Newsweek.
The White House responds
The White House’s official X account later joined the dispute by posting a Lego-style map of the United States that labeled the body of water bordering New York as “Lake America.”
The map also attracted criticism because it appeared to incorrectly place Washington, D.C., in North Carolina.
“How much drinking water did you idiots use up just to put DC and NJ in the wrong places?” The Lincoln Project responded on X, referring to speculation that artificial intelligence was used to create the map.