The Associated Press announced it will continue referring to Lake Ontario by its original name, defying a presidential executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump that renamed the body of water Lake America amid escalating trade tariffs between the United States and Canada.
Donald Trump Signs Executive Order Directing the Interior Department
Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that Lake Ontario would be known as “Lake America,” marking one of the latest provocations during his trade war with Canada that is now hiking tariffs on both sides of the border. The move was a blatant effort to spite Canada as the countries re-engaged in a trade war over Trump’s tariffs. His executive order on Friday directed the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming service, and U.S. federal agencies now use “Lake America” in official correspondence and mapping data. Earlier this week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox that Trump had reached out to Apple “directly” about the change.
Apple and Google Update Maps While MapQuest Refuses
From Instagram — related to will keep using original, Lake Ontario AP
Digital mapping companies have split in their response to the federal naming directive. Google Maps and Apple Maps both adopted the new designation for users within the United States. Google rolled out the update over the weekend, citing Trump’s order and its already-established practice of using names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (or GNIS). People using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names, Google said in a brief statement on Saturday, reiterating that such updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country. Apple followed suit by midweek, displaying Lake America for U.S. users looking at the lake that sits between the state of New York and Canada’s Ontario province, while users outside of the U.S. still saw the Lake Ontario name. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
In contrast, navigation provider MapQuest opted against the update. MapQuest, in particular, has declared it won’t be changing Lake Ontario’s label — and gave users the option to name the lake whatever you want through a separate online tool. Both the Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico names still appear as default on its platform. MapQuest, owned by California company System1, has reported a surge of downloads recently. When it was discovered that MapQuest would not follow suit, those looking to boycott the other apps quickly launched it to the top of Apple’s app chart. On Wednesday, MapQuest topped the charts of free apps with new downloads in both the U.S. and Canada on Apple’s App Store.
The Associated Press Defends Global Readership Standards
Patrick Maks Outlines the Associated Press Editorial Stance
The Associated Press confirmed it will maintain the traditional name in its global reporting, noting that executive orders issued by the White House affect only how the U.S. government refers to the lake, and Canada and other countries are not required to recognize the name change. AP spokesman Patrick Maks outlined the organization’s editorial stance in a public statement.
Trump signs executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'
“The Associated Press will refer to Lake Ontario by its original name, including the name Trump has chosen when relevant. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are recognizable to broad audiences.”
Patrick Maks, AP spokesman
The news agency previously navigated a similar clash when the administration attempted to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on his first day in office. When the Associated Press issued similar guidance involving Trump’s bid to rename the Gulf of Mexico, he actually restricted the outlet’s access to the White House. The Associated Press tried to take legal action for the move, but an appeals court ruled in June 2025 that Trump’s ban could continue.
Canadian Officials Reject the Change Over Indigenous Roots
Mark Carney and Doug Ford Reject the Lake America Name
Political leaders in Ottawa and Ontario swiftly dismissed the U.S. naming decree, emphasizing the deep historical roots attached to the waterway. Trump cannot force Canada to also change the name of Lake Ontario. And America’s northern neighbors quickly panned the idea. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the move last week, invoking the lake’s Indigenous roots and noting that the name predates both the Canadian Confederation and U.S. Declaration of Independence.
“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,”
Trump changes name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in executive order
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote in a social media post.
The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarí:io,” which means lake of shining waters. Ontario Premier Doug Ford offered an equally firm rebuttal on social media shortly after the order was signed.
“It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever,”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on social media Friday.
Public polling indicates the initiative lacks broad domestic support as well; a recent Ipsos poll revealed that just 14% of Americans approved of the change, while 63% opposed it. At the time of writing, Trump had not yet commented on the AP’s decision.
