Trump Signs Executive Order to Rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'

<p>President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 27, 2026, renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America." During the announcement, he suggested that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could also be renamed in the future.</p><p>Trump stated, "As you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico, we changed it, and now it's very routinely the Gulf of America." He added, "So if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean. So maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them both."</p><p>He declared the name change for Lake Ontario as "official, effective immediately," and explained that the administration had completed all necessary paperwork and notified relevant parties. The order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in collaboration with the Board on Geographic Names, to take steps within 30 days to rename the lake in the federal Geographic Names Information System and to remove references to "Lake Ontario." It also mandates the board to ensure that federal maps, contracts, documents, and agency communications reflect the new name.</p><p>The order does not have authority over the name used by Canada, which shares the lake with New York. This is not Trump's first initiative to rename a significant body of water; on his first day back in office, he signed Executive Order 14172, directing the federal government to adopt the name "Gulf of America" for the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p>Trump also proclaimed February 9, 2025, as the first "Gulf of America Day" while aboard Air Force One. The recent order cites the United States' investment of nearly $4 billion in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem over the last decade and emphasizes the lake's historical significance in American trade and commerce.</p><p>While Trump's comments about renaming the Atlantic and Pacific oceans appeared to be humorous, he did not announce any formal actions regarding those bodies of water. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment.</p>