Donald Trump smiles during a mining industry roundtable at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 7 (local time). [EPA]
Donald Trump smiles during a mining industry roundtable at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 7 (local time). [EPA]

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Donald Trump said Tuesday (local time) he is considering renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America," a move widely seen as a provocation aimed at Ontario, the Canadian province leading domestic opposition to US tariffs.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is "seriously considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America," saying he does not expect to do much business with Ontario province going forward.

Lake Ontario sits on the border between Ontario province and the US state of New York. One of the five Great Lakes of North America, it serves as a natural boundary between the two countries.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been a persistent critic of Trump, repeatedly invoking former President Ronald Reagan — a conservative icon — saying Reagan would be rolling over in his grave.

Trump also posted on Truth Social a map with the name Lake Ontario crossed out in red and replaced with "Lake America."

Earlier, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" shortly after taking office last year. When the Associated Press continued using the original name, the White House barred its reporters from presidential events.

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump denied interfering with Canadians' right to use French, saying he had "never even thought about doing such a ridiculous thing." He called the claim "a lie made up by a weak and incompetent prime minister trying to regain political support he has completely lost in Quebec," and added that he loves French Canadians.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a news conference Tuesday that US trade negotiators had shown an attitude of treating Canada's French-language protections as a nuisance.

Canada recognizes English and French as co-official languages. Quebec in particular has strong language protections, including a requirement that products sold there carry French-language labeling.

Trump also posted a string of attacks on Canada, saying the United States had lost an average of $60 billion a year over the past decade and "that won't happen anymore," and accusing Canada of having "ripped off" the United States for decades.

The trade war between the two longtime neighbors and allies is intensifying. After the United States imposed 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian goods, Canada responded Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs of the same scale. Trump has also signaled that 50 percent tariffs on automobiles and auto parts will take effect next year.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com