President Donald Trump has reportedly requested Apple to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its maps, according to a senior U.S. government official. The renaming initiative has stirred controversy among Canadians amid ongoing trade tensions. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum mentioned in an interview with Fox Business that Trump directly approached Apple regarding the name change. It is anticipated that the alteration to “Lake America” might be implemented soon.
Following Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” signed after trade discussions between Canada and the U.S. collapsed and significant U.S. tariffs were imposed on Canadian products, Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs set to take effect soon. Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed opposition to the name change, affirming that the lake, situated between Ontario and New York state and part of the Great Lakes, will forever be known as Lake Ontario.
Google recently announced that Google Maps users in the U.S. will see “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario, citing official government sources for the name change. However, users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario on Google Maps. Despite this, some websites in Ontario and Canadian entities displayed Lake America temporarily, with some, like Hydro One and LCBO websites, reverting to showing Lake Ontario again on Monday.
Apple has not yet responded to inquiries regarding whether Trump requested the lake’s renaming on Apple Maps and if they intend to make the change. Currently, when accessing Apple Maps in Canada, the lake is still labeled as Lake Ontario. Notably, in 2025, Trump signed a similar executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, affecting U.S. federal documents and geographic services. Some online map services and news outlets have adopted the “Gulf of America” designation, while Apple Maps presently identifies the area as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”