During an event at the Oval Office, President Donald Trump announced a controversial executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” This move is part of his ongoing trade conflict with Canada, which has ramped up in recent weeks.
The executive order signed on Thursday calls for the renaming of the smallest of the Great Lakes. Although the order specifies that the renaming is immediate, it also highlights necessary administrative steps.
“We have a gulf, and we have a lake, now all we need is an ocean,” said Trump at the signing event, referencing his previous decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. He attributed the decision to renaming the lake to issues with Canada, stating, “We deal with a lot of people, and people oftentimes they’ll ask me, ‘Who’s the worst to deal with on trade?’ And I said, ‘That’s easy, Canada. They are the worst to trade, and they they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that,'” he explained.
This announcement follows a breakdown in trade negotiations with Canada, after which Trump declared a 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods, leading to an escalation in the trade conflict. In retaliation, Canada imposed counter-tariffs.
These increased tariffs are expected to drive up costs for American consumers. The prices of goods are already high due to existing economic tensions with Iran.
Within the U.S., the decision to escalate tariffs and rename the lake has sparked criticism from some members of Trump’s own party. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, facing a demanding reelection campaign, criticized the tariffs as a mistake earlier in the week.
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