President Donald Trump has reportedly urged Apple to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its maps, causing consternation among Canadians amidst ongoing trade tensions. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum revealed that Trump had directly contacted Apple regarding this proposed renaming, hinting at a potential upcoming change to “Lake America” on the maps.
The controversy stems from an executive order signed by Trump to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” following the breakdown of Canada-U.S. trade discussions and the imposition of significant tariffs by the United States. In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs set to take effect shortly.
Despite the directive, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has adamantly opposed the name change, affirming that the lake, a significant Great Lake situated between Ontario and New York state, will forever be referred to as Lake Ontario. Google recently confirmed that its maps for U.S. users will reflect the new name, citing the formal change in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
While Google Maps in Canada will retain the name Lake Ontario, certain websites in Ontario displayed “Lake America” over the weekend, triggering confusion. However, as of Monday, affected maps on platforms like Hydro One and LCBO websites have reverted to labeling the lake as Lake Ontario.
Apple has yet to respond to inquiries about whether Trump’s request to rename the lake will be implemented on Apple Maps. Notably, Trump previously issued a similar order in 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, impacting U.S. federal documents and geographic services. Apple Maps currently identifies the area as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”