Amid the protracted dispute over tariffs with Canada, US President Donald Trump ordered Lake Ontario, located on the border of the two North American countries, to be renamed "Lake America," world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
The decree was signed in the Oval Office of the White House by 80-year-old Trump and takes effect immediately. During the signing, a large poster with a map of the Great Lakes was hung behind Trump. Above Lake Ontario, in large red letters, it read "Lake America."
Washington emphasizes that most of the lake's volume is located in the United States, as are its deepest points. The name is intended to “reflect the fact that this is an American lake“.
Trump's executive order instructs the official US database of geographic locations and names to change the name.
A few days ago, Trump raised the issue of renaming and linked it to economic issues.
“The US is seriously considering changing the name of Lake “Ontario“ on Lake “America“, as we no longer expect to do much business with Ontario“, Trump wrote on his “Truth Social” platform.
Ontario is Canada's most populous province and is closely tied economically to the United States.
After the failure of trade talks between Washington and Ottawa late last week, the dispute between the neighboring countries has escalated significantly.
Lake Ontario is one of the so-called Great Lakes, three of which border both the United States and Canada.
The Associated Press adds that Trump hinted that he was not done renaming geographical features.
“When you think about it, we already have a bay and we already have a lake. Now we need an ocean. Maybe we should change the name of the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. We might as well change them,” the American president said.
There is no single international body that determines the names of international bodies of water, while Trump has wide latitude in how the US government recognizes geographical places and landmarks, the AP notes.
First comments from Canada followed.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Lake Ontario will continue to be called that.
"The name is more than 400 years old, predating Canada and the declaration of US independence," he wrote on the social network "Ex". He added that Canadians will continue to call it Ontario "then, now and forever".
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston rejected Trump's move in a social media post, writing: "Now we're in for some real crap. This is Lake Ontario, my friend."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has traded insults with Trump in the past, this week dismissed the prospect of Trump changing the lake's name, calling it "a lot of rhetoric".
The name Lake Ontario comes from the local Aboriginal language, meaning "lake of shining waters". The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, takes its name from the lake.