Dorothy

Trump on Aug. 26 compared his proposed renaming of one of the five Great Lakes to his prior action to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, which he formalized via signed proclamation on his first day of his second term.

Of course, this isn’t Trump’s first jingoistic effort to rename a long-recognized body of water to reflect his “America First” agenda: In February 2025, he claimed the Gulf of Mexico would now be the “Gulf of America.”

And just like the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, Trump can unilaterally change a geographic name for official U.S. federal government use, like his action via executive order in that case -- but he doesn't have the authority to dictate what other countries or international bodies call it.

Trump responded Monday by announcing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. And in a posting spree about Canada on Tuesday, Trump desperately claimed he “would never interfere with Canadians speaking French!” before pivoting to a post about how “difficult and unreasonable” the country is being.

Trump on Tuesday also rejected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's claims that the U.S. was making threats on Canada's use of the French language, as opposed to English, as part of the ongoing trade war. Trump said on social media that he would "never interfere with Canadians speaking French."

Trump has also threatened new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel, while Carney said U.S. trade demands showed that Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos, steel and aluminum.

Lake Ontario’s name predates either country The lake’s name comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarí:io,” which means “lake of shining waters,” and it predates European settlement in the region. The province, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.