President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned the dispute with Canada over tariffs and trade into an attack on that nation’s ego, threatening to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
He’s already succeed with this strategy once before, announcing early in his second term in the White House that the old “Gulf of Mexico” now is the “Gulf of America.” His executive order actually only controlled the references by the executive branch but now even online resources say, “The Gulf of America is a partially landlocked body of water on the southeastern edge of North America, connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Straits of Florida and to the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatán Channel … It spans approximately 1,100 miles east-west and 800 miles north-south, covering around 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 square km) of sea.”
Trump confirmed, “The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to [be] doing much business with Ontario any longer.”
The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
( TS: Aug 25 2026, 6:58 AM ET )… pic.twitter.com/X5TxYS8TaV
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 25, 2026
President Trump says the U.S. is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” writing on his platform Truth Social, “we don’t expect to be doing business with Ontario any longer.” pic.twitter.com/ATCzhsGhe0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 25, 2026
WorldNetDaily reported only a day earlier Trump, frustrated with Canada’s “ridiculously high” tariffs on American products, confirmed a 50% tariff on many Canadian products, starting New Year’s Day.
He said, “Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years.
“Their ridiculously high tariffs on our Farmers and farm products has made life impossible for these great American Patriots, and has long created a 60 Billion Dollar Deficit between our two Countries. Not sustainable, and NOT ANYMORE!
“On January First, 2027, Tariffs on all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel, will be increased to 50%. Build in the U.S. and there are ZERO TARIFFS. Canada will be treated like a State no longer!”
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He said on Sunday, “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!”
Trade discussions had been taking place, but ended. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated Canada was responsible for the collapse of trade-deal negotiations last week, telling CNBC that Ottawa changed its demands at the last minute.
Trump has been in a war of words with Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, since, and rejected Carney’s claims that the U.S. wanted concessions affecting the use of the French language in Canada.
“I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French!” Trump wrote. “In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!”
A report at Fox News said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that Carney’s claims were a “funny, fake story.”
Vice President JD Vance confirmed an agreement had been close before Canadian officials issued “what he described as unreasonable demands to the table at the last minute,” the report said.
Trump even shared a map on Truth Social showing the name change to Lake America.
Lake Ontario ❌
Lake America ✅ pic.twitter.com/nchaloc3dW— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 25, 2026
‘NOT ANYMORE!’ Trump announces massive tariffs on Canada to stop it from ‘ripping off’ U.S.
