Trump Just Renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" — And Canada's Response Is EVERYTHING 🍁

The absolute chaos we didn't know we needed: Donald Trump has officially renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" — and Canada is NOT having it.

In the latest escalation of a trade war that's somehow turned into a name-calling match (literally), the US president signed an executive order on Thursday directing all federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America, according to The Guardian.

Yes, really.

And it gets wilder.

Google Maps Actually Changed It

Google Maps has changed Lake Ontario's name to "Lake America" for US users to reflect Trump's executive order.

The tech giant said in a statement that its practice is to "reflect name changes in official government sources," and Trump's order affects the US's federal Geographic Names Information System, which sets the standard for official US maps.

Canadian users will still see "Lake Ontario" on Google Maps, and those outside the US and Canada will see both names. But for Americans? It's Lake America now.

The name change "does not have any impact on Canadian naming conventions or how the rest of the world refers to the lake," Google clarified.

Canada's Prime Minister Said Absolutely NOT

Canada's prime minister Mark Carney has flat-out rejected the renaming, The Guardian reports.

Lake Ontario derives from an Indigenous Wendat word meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is great" — a name that dates back more than 400 years.

Wendat Nation grand chief Pierre Picard called Trump's move an attempt to erase Indigenous history. "I want to tell him that it is unacceptable for us, as a nation, to have a president who can eradicate our history, our culture and our identity," Picard said.

Then Canada Put Up A GIANT Billboard

Ontario premier Doug Ford wasn't about to let this slide.

On Saturday, Ford unveiled a two-stories-high billboard declaring "Lake Ontario. Now and Always" near Grimsby, Ontario — right where everyone can see it.

"Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario," Ford said in a video posted on social media.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ford said the late Ronald Reagan would be "throwing up" over Trump's tariff policies. (The name dispute is actually the public face of an escalating trade war involving a 50% US tariff on Canadian steel and retaliatory tariffs from Ottawa.)

Trump Posted AI Videos Of Himself Dancing And Kicking Over Signs

Because of course he did.

Trump posted not one but TWO AI-generated videos on Saturday to double down on the Lake America rebrand, according to The Guardian.

The first video shows Trump kicking over a Lake Ontario sign, replacing it with a Lake America sign, and then dancing to the Village People's "YMCA" — the song he's made his unofficial theme tune.

The second video? An army of Canada geese with Trump-like blond hair firing rifles in protection of Lake America.

We are NOT making this up.

Manitoba's Premier Compared Trump To An Aging Rock Band

Manitoba's premier, Wab Kinew, had possibly the best take on the whole situation.

"You know when, like, a rock band is really over the hill and you see them like in a casino playing some song from like 50 years ago, I think that's the part of Donald Trump's presidency we're at now," Kinew said.

"Like he thought he had a real hit, a real golden oldie, with the Gulf of Mexico. He's trying to bring back that, and he's trying to play the hits for his base. But I think everybody here thinks it's a little sad, and it's not his best work."

(Yes, Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America earlier in his second presidency. This is apparently his thing now.)

What's This Really About?

The renaming drama is the public-facing part of a much bigger trade dispute between the US and Canada.

Talks to resolve the dispute have stalled, and tensions are high over Trump's 50% tariff on Canadian steel and Canada's retaliatory tariffs.

Trump told reporters he was renaming the lake because Ontario and Canada were "standing up for ourselves," Ford said.

Lake Ontario is one of North America's five Great Lakes, alongside Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. At 7,340 square miles, it's the smallest of the Great Lakes in terms of surface area.

But apparently, it's big enough to start an international incident.

Sources:

• The Guardian: Canada erects giant 'Lake Ontario' sign as spat with Trump over name escalates