President Trump floated the possibility of rebranding Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” in a shot across the bow against Canada’s most populous province — whose premier threatened to cut off electricity and minerals to the US.
“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 much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump declared on Truth Social Tuesday.
On his very first day back in the Oval Office last year, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, a move he frequently boasted about during his first year.
His musing about giving Lake Ontario, which borders upstate New York, the same treatment comes amid a bruising tariff battle with America’s northern neighbor.
Last week, talks broke down between the two sides.
That prompted Trump to impose a steep 50% tariff on a range of Canadian goods — including beer, cheese, electronics, and more.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to retaliate in kind, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has long been a hardliner on trade, teased plans to make the US feel economic pain.
Ford vowed to the Associated Press that “everything is on the table” if the trade spat worsens, including cutting off electricity and critical minerals from Ontario.
“We power 1.5 million homes and businesses,” the premier said. “Everything’s on the table. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
One of the issues Carney claimed caused the breakdown in talks at the 11th hour last week was purported demands that Canada make changes, demanding Quebec use English instead of French. Trump denied that on Monday.
“I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French!” Trump insisted on Truth Social. “In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing. This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. “I love French Canadians!”
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