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Trump floats renaming Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ as feud with Canada escalates

By CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his feud with Canadian leaders, suggesting the United States is considering renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as tensions between the two countries continue to rise amid an ongoing trade war.

“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area, separating the state of New York from Ontario, Canada.

Trump’s latest jab comes a day after he warned Canada of “far WORSE” consequences if its leaders do not “fall in line,” following the collapse of trade talks between the two countries. It’s also not the first time the US president has tried to rename a body of water by adding “America,” having previously signed an order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, accusing Canada of taking advantage of the US for decades.

“Lots of ‘bluster’ from Doug Ford, who is the Premier of the Canadian Province of Ontario, but who is better known as the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford,” Trump wrote Monday.

“Someone should get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!” Trump added.

The dispute comes as Trump threatened on Monday to increase tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel to 50% beginning January 1, 2027. Canada has vowed to respond with “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs beginning September 8.

Trump previously tried to rename a different body of water bordering the United States.

On his first day in office in his second term, Trump signed an executive order calling for the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America.” US government agencies and the Coast Guard have since adopted the name, while other countries have not recognized the change.

The White House also turned the issue into a dispute with The Associated Press after the news organization continued referring to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. A federal judge eventually ruled against the White House saying its decision to punish the AP by restricting it from Trump’s events was “unconstitutional.”

In May 2025, the House passed a Republican-led bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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How Canada’s retaliation could hurt American businesses and consumers

By CNN
(CNN) — Canada has a number of arrows in its quiver as it prepares to retaliate against the United States, and they could land hit American consumers and businesses.Already, Ottawa has vowed to match Washington’s latest tariffs dollar for dollar. But Canada also has other tools at its disposal, including restrictions on key exports to the United States.Here’s what Canada could do next — and what each move could mean for Americans.The first move: tariffsCanada’s first move in the brewing trade war is likely to be a straightforward eye-for-an-eye response.Retaliatory tariffs “will be concentrated in sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said over the weekend, adding that more details would be shared “in the coming days.”With the exception of steel, all of those industries are also covered by President Donald Trump’s new tariffs. Canada is an important market for US exporters in those sectors: Last year, it ranked as either the largest or second-largest destination for American exports across most of those industries, according to US trade data.Carney also said Canada is considering tariffs aimed at industries Trump has already targeted with separate duties, including cars, steel, aluminum, lumber and copper.The risk for Americans here is that steep Canadian tariffs could weaken demand for these goods, which could force employers to cut workers’ hours or, in some cases, resort to layoffs.The bigger weaponsTrump already signaled he may go beyond the latest tariffs in his trade fight with Canada, threatening on Monday to double tariffs on Canadian cars and auto parts to 50% starting January 1.If Trump follows through — or escalates in other ways — Ottawa could use other ammunition.Canada could restrict key exports to the US, such as energy and a key fertilizer ingredient known as potash, said Diamond Isinger, a policy strategist and former special advisor on Canada-US relations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Another vulnerable area is electricity. Ford said in an interview published Monday that Canada should be prepared to cut off electricity exports to the United States if the trade war worsens, putting a potentially powerful weapon on the table. Ontario supplies electricity to several US states, including New York, Michigan and Minnesota.Carney echoed Ford on Monday, telling reporters that “nothing is off the table.”Any such moves could add to the price pressures Americans have faced this year. Altogether the cost of living is up 3.4% from a year ago, according to July Consumer Price Index data. Gas prices, up almost 25% compared to last year, have weighed heavily on consumers’ finances. The cost of powering homes is also up, with electricity and piped gas both costing around 4% more annually.How badly will it hurt?Tariffs could make it harder for US companies to sell their goods in Canada.Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain.For instance, last year, Ontario briefly applied a 25% surcharge on electricity imports to the United States. The Ontario government estimated at the time that it would affect 1.5 million American homes, costing up to $400,000 CAD (around $280,000 USD) “every day the surcharge remains in place.”Restrictions on these key Canadian goods could quickly be felt by US businesses and consumers, making it harder to stay afloat, Isinger said.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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