Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed 'Lake America' in fresh provocation of Canada

US President Donald Trump provoked Canada again amid the ongoing trade war between the two countries, ordering that Lake Ontario — which straddles the US-Canada border — be renamed "Lake America."

Trump signed an executive order at the White House on Thursday (local time) directing that Lake Ontario be officially renamed Lake America in US geographic records. The move followed his announcement two days earlier on Truth Social that he was considering the change.

The executive order argued that the deepest point of Lake Ontario lies within US territory, giving the United States rights over the majority of the lake's water. It also claimed that the US plays the largest role in protecting Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes.

Under the order, the Interior Department must update the US geographic naming system to reflect the new name. The renaming is widely seen as a provocative move designed to antagonize Canada as the trade war between the two countries worsens.

However, an executive order signed in the United States cannot compel Canada to adopt the name Lake America.

Trump repeated his claim that Canada has been taking advantage of the United States, saying, "Canadian officials have treated us very badly. Nasty people."

Lake Ontario, a large lake situated between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and forms part of the border between the two countries. The name Ontario is said to derive from an Indigenous language meaning "lake of shining waters." The province of Ontario took its name from the lake when it was established in 1867, according to The Associated Press.

Ontario province has been at the forefront of Canada's pushback against the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly condemned Trump, vowing not to back down in the face of US pressure.

This is not the first time Trump has unilaterally changed an internationally recognized geographic name. Early last year, upon taking office, he signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. When the AP continued to use the original name, the White House barred its reporters from official events.

Trump also said Thursday, "We have a gulf and now we have a lake. What we need now is an ocean," adding, "We may have to change the name of the Atlantic or the Pacific. Maybe we will."