President Donald Trump declared Lake Ontario “gone” and replaced it with “Lake America” on a printed map Wednesday night, escalating his war of words with Canada amid a bitter trade dispute.
In a video posted to Trump’s TikTok account, the president displayed the map while seated behind his desk in the Oval Office.
“So this is Lake Ontario, in Canada and in the United States,” Trump said. “But we’re gonna make a little change. We’re gonna call it something different than Lake Ontario.”
Trump then announced his preferred replacement for the lake’s longtime name.
“We’re gonna call it Lake America,” he said. “And all it takes is a good pen and some intelligence.”
The president picked up a black pen, crossed out “Lake Ontario” on the printed map and wrote “Lake America” in its place.
“So Lake Ontario, that’s gone. Lake America,” Trump declared.
Trump also linked his latest proposed name change to the Gulf of America.
“So now we have a lake, and now we have a gulf, because we have the Gulf of America,” Trump said. “Now we have Lake America, without the ‘of.’ Thank you very much, everybody. Enjoy Lake America.”
The video marked the latest shot in Trump’s escalating trade battle with Canada, which erupted over the weekend.
Trump first floated the Lake America idea Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social account, saying his administration was giving the proposed change “serious consideration.”
“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 [sic] much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The proposal has sparked fierce reactions from both Canadians and Americans as tensions between Washington and Ottawa continue to rise.
Trump’s second term has featured repeated clashes with America’s northern neighbor. The president has vowed to make Canada the 51st state and complained about wildfire smoke crossing into the United States.
Trump has also sparred with Canadian officials over the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.
Earlier this week, the president accused Canada of “ripping off” the United States as he laid out his tariff plans.
“WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!” Trump declared.
Canadian officials have vowed to match the U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar as the dispute intensifies.
Trump’s TikTok video did not settle whether the proposed name change would become official. However, the president treated the matter as decided on his printed map, crossing out the old name before thanking viewers and telling them to “Enjoy Lake America.”
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