President Donald Trump made good on a promise, or really a threat, he’s been floating since trade talks with Canada broke down.
Through an executive order signed Thursday, Trump ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” on the U.S. side.
But even mapmakers and cartographers aren’t playing along with his latest rebranding gimmick, at least not yet.
The internet’s oldest digital mapping company is flat-out refusing to change the name on its maps.
MapQuest said in a social media post Thursday, shortly after Trump’s order, “We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure.”
The post included a link to a custom name generator, letting the public rename Lake Ontario whatever they like — and asking users to tag MapQuest to share their favorite creations.
Social media loved it, posting praises and criticizing Trump over what opponents call his petty antics.
“Holy sh-t, you f-cking rule,” a Threads user jubilantly remarked.
Another criticized another mapping application for going along with what critics call Trump’s insanity.
“Nice to see MapQuest (unlike Google) holding the line of map sanity.”
That remark points directly to Google Maps giving in to Trump’s earlier order — when he officially designated the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” at the start of his second term.
Critics also mocked the lake’s renaming by targeting the famous HOMES acronym — standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
As one Michigan native posted: “I grew up in Michigan and we learned the names of the Great Lakes with this acronym: HOMES. I guess this will now be changed to SHAME and that seems quite fitting.”
Another said simply, “Thank goodness. If you all keep indulging this madness, it will never end. Hope you didn’t go along with the Gulf of America nonsense as well.”
The answer is no. MapQuest did not change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, either.
Trump’s executive order is a directive to federal agencies to use “Lake America” on all official documents, but it does not force mapping companies or public entities to change the name.
The Department of the Interior has 30 days to update the federal Geographic Names and Information Services. According to news reports, the name change will apply to federal maps, military records, and official government communications.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was quick to react to Trump’s latest move.
“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” Carney posted on X.
“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Carney continued.
Then he declared, “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”
“Don’t take it’s seriously,” one person responded to Carney. “It’s like a toddler coloring a zebra purple and orange.”
“What’s wrong with him and his immature obsession?” another asked.
Shortly after returning to office in January 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. However, the change gained little traction internationally, among news outlets, or with the wider public.
The name change only affects federal agencies and documents.
During his second term, Trump has sought and in several instances succeeded in renaming landmarks, infrastructure, and institutions after himself.
Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach — near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate —officially became President Donald J. Trump International Airport on July 9 under Florida state legislation. The airport’s three-letter identifier officially switched from PBI to DJT.
That follows the State Department’s move in late 2025 to rebrand Washington’s U.S. Institute of Peace as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
Other efforts to rename prominent public landmarks after Trump — including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New York’s Penn Station, and Washington Dulles International Airport — have so far failed to take hold.
Trump’s vindictive renaming of Lake Ontario follows the breakdown in trade negotiations with Canada on Aug. 21.
New 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian imports took effect the next day. The expansive list of targeted goods spans building supplies, liquor, select apparel, and sporting gear — including hockey sticks.
In response, Canada announced plans to impose matching retaliatory tariffs starting Sept. 8 on U.S. steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
