GRIMSBY, Ontario — Ontario officials put up a large shoreline sign reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” after President Donald Trump attempted to rename the Great Lake “Lake America,” turning what began as an executive order into an international embarrassment.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the sign Friday, making clear that Canada does not recognize Trump’s attempt to rewrite the name of a lake shared by two countries simply because he decided he did not like Ontario standing up to him.
“Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario,” Ford said. “Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.”
The move came as relations between the United States and Canada worsened following the collapse of trade talks and new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Ford said Trump’s renaming effort appeared to be retaliation against Canada for refusing to be pushed around.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also rejected the name change, saying Lake Ontario is Lake Ontario “today and forever.”
Trump announced the order Thursday from the Oval Office, comparing it to his earlier effort to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” He suggested the United States may eventually need to rename an ocean, too.
“We have a Gulf and we have a lake,” Trump said. “Now, all we need is an ocean.”
The comments drew fresh criticism that Trump is spending time on political stunts and nationalist branding while families in both countries are dealing with higher prices, trade uncertainty and the economic consequences of tariff fights.
Trump later posted an AI-generated video showing himself knocking down a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with one that read “Lake of America.” The video was meant to project dominance. Instead, it underscored the absurdity of a president treating an international body of water like a piece of personal property that can be renamed for a social media victory lap.
Ontario’s response was simple and far more grounded: the lake had a name before Trump, and it will have the same name after him.
“Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we have set up this sign to remind them,” Ford said. “It’s Lake Ontario, now and forever.”
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