President Donald Trump called Apple about changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in the hopes of getting them to alter their maps, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Trump announced Lake Ontario would now be called Lake America on Thursday, as part of his trade feud with Canada. Google Maps has already updated its system to reflect the change, but Apple users using the company's own map will still see Lake Ontario when they open the page.
They also can't search for Lake America to get directions, they must search Lake Ontario. However, that may be changing. During an interview with Fox Business' Mornings With Maria, Burgum told guest host Cheryl Casone, who was filling in for host Maria Bartiromo, that Trump reached out to Apple directly.
"So I'm sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America," Burgum said. Burgum added that Trump signing the executive order for the name change, it requires the Department of Interior's Board of Geographic Names to change the name on their software, which "cascades down to all the map providers." Newsweek reached out to Apple for comment via email but did not receive a response in time for publication.Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” is the latest flashpoint in his administration’s escalating dispute with Canada and follows a pattern of symbolic geographic rebranding efforts that he has championed since returning to office. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in U.S. federal records and mapping systems, declaring the move effective immediately.
The order instructed federal agencies and the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the government’s official geographic database, to adopt the new name for federal use. The White House framed the change as a recognition of the lake’s importance to U.S. history, commerce, defense and exploration. According to the executive order, the administration argued that the United States possesses much of the lake’s volume and that the waterway has long served as a significant American asset.
Trump said he had completed all of the necessary paperwork and notifications required for the change. The move came amid rapidly worsening relations between Washington and Ottawa. In the days leading up to the order, trade negotiations between the United States and Canada had collapsed, triggering a new round of tariffs and counter-tariffs.
The Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian goods, while Canada announced retaliatory duties on a wide range of American products. Trump repeatedly linked the name change to his broader criticism of Canada’s trade policies, accusing the country of unfairly benefiting from its economic and security relationship with the United States. Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and sits along the border between New York and the Canadian province of Ontario.
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