EDITORIAL: Call it what you want. It’s still Lake Ontario

U.S. President Donald Trump's preoccupation with Canada and his need to dominate us is embarrassing

Published Aug 28, 2026  •  2 minute read

People gather at dusk on the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Photo by Cole Burston / AFP /Getty Images

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Deep breaths, Canada: Lake Ontario will always be Lake Ontario. It’s hard to tell whether U.S. President Donald Trump is simply on another trolling expedition or if he truly believes he can change the ancient name of a major body of water with a whiteboard and a Sharpie.

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Either way, it’s a sign of weakness from an elderly president who seems oblivious to the major problems facing his country. Mired in a Middle East war for which he apparently has no exit plan, the cost of everything from gas to ground beef has soared. People are hurting and the midterm elections are looming.

Canadians are living rent-free in Trump’s head and setting his agenda. With so many other issues swirling, his unnatural preoccupation with this country and his need to dominate us is embarrassing for the U.S.

His latest proclamation was a bridge too far for most governors in states bordering the Great Lakes. Several of them posted on X that they will not acknowledge the name change.

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “New York won’t be calling it that.”

The order directs the U.S. Interior Department to update the government’s Geographic Names Information System, the database of geographic names and their locations, to immediately change the name to Lake America.

The order has no international legal force, nor does it compel cartographers to use the new name. “We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario,” online cartographer Mapquest posted, and invited readers to make up their own name for the body of water.

While the most common response to the executive order was one of mockery, there’s a worrying aspect. It claims the deepest part of Lake Ontario and most of its volume are in U.S. territory and called it “a tremendous asset to the United States and part of our Nation’s heritage.” What exactly Trump means by that is unclear.

Sadly, he’s become the elderly relative at the Christmas party who can’t remember anyone’s name, so he makes them up.

The good news is that presidential executive orders aren’t permanent. They can be revoked. Lake Ontario will endure. Sadly the goodwill that once defined this great alliance has evaporated. It will take years to restore the trust that once existed between two great democratic countries.

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