Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?

President Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 27, 2026, to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' amid an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images On Aug. 27, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America,” claiming his administration had already “notified all of the various people you have to notify.” The name change, which Ontario Premier Doug Ford had dismissed as rhetoric when it was first suggested, comes amid an…