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President Donald Trump threatened to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” escalating his war of words with Canadian officials on Tuesday as an intensifying trade fight strains the close economic relationship between the countries.
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“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,” Trump said in a social media post.
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Trump’s threat is the latest volley in an expanding trade war after negotiations between the countries broke down and the U.S. hit Canada with new tariffs on billions in goods. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will impose counter-tariffs and Trump on Monday also vowed to double the automobile tariff on Canadian vehicles and parts starting next year.
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Those auto levies would target the Canadian province of Ontario in particular, where steel and auto production is heavily concentrated. Trump and Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, have exchanged a slew of insults and threats. Ford has also talked about retaliation against the U.S., such as cutting off electricity exports.
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Trump also pushed back on claims from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that the U.S. sought measures in the trade deal that would weaken protections for the French language, one of the country’s two official languages and a political lightning rod in Canada.
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“I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing,” Trump said in a subsequent social media post. “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!”
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Mark Wiseman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., has said the dispute pertained to digital and U.S.-based streaming services and levels of French-language content.
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Each country has blamed the other for the last-minute collapse of trade talks last week. The fight presents yet another challenge for Trump ahead of November midterm elections sure to hinge on voter perceptions of the economy, in particular high costs of living.
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Trump’s threat to rename the iconic Great Lake on the border between the U.S. and Canada echoes his early 2025 move to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
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