US President orders renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America

Washington, Aug 27 (KUNA) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order today, Thursday, officially changing the name of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes of North America located on the border between Canada’s Ontario province and the U.S. state of New York, to “Lake America” within a month.

In the text of the executive order published by the White House, Trump stated that the United States “is the greatest guardian of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario,” adding that “without the security and investments provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be available for navigation, recreation, and responsible use to the extent we see today.”

He emphasized that the U.S. Coast Guard “provides nine of the 11 icebreakers in the Great Lakes region, ensuring that commercial shipping lanes remain open and freely accessible,” and noted that the United States “has invested nearly $4 billion to protect the freshwater ecosystem of the Great Lakes over the past decade, while Canada has invested significantly less in similar initiatives during the same period.”

Trump affirmed that “since the deepest parts of the lake lie within U.S. territory, the United States has the right to most of its water volume.”

He directed that the lake’s name be officially changed to “Lake America,” stating that “within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Board on Geographic Names, shall take all appropriate actions in this regard.” He further specified that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, in conjunction with the Board on Geographic Names, must “update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the name change and remove all references to Lake Ontario from the system.”

The Board on Geographic Names will issue guidance to ensure that all references issued by the federal government concerning Lake Ontario, including those in maps, contracts, documents, and correspondence from executive departments and agencies, reflect the lake’s new name.

It is worth noting that President Trump reiterated in recent days his intention to change the lake’s name following the collapse of a trade agreement with Canada that was expected to be finalized recently. The agreement fell through, leading to the imposition of reciprocal tariffs. (End) R.S.R. / R.J.