New York Governor Declines to Adopt Trump's Proposed "Lake America" Name

Governor Kathy Hochul said New York will not adopt President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America," and the state will keep using the historic name on its maps and signage. The order, issued by the White House, directs the Interior Department and the Board on Geographic Names to update federal records, but it does not compel Canadian or other international authorities to change the name.

"New York won’t be calling it that," Hochul wrote on X.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized the lake’s Indigenous origins, noting that the name derives from a Wendat word meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big" and has been in use for more than four centuries. He added that Canadians consider the name a factual description that should remain unchanged.

"We know that America is changing... Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always," Carney said.

Other state leaders also pushed back. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers mocked the proposal by posting a video of himself writing "Lake Wisconsin" on a napkin, while Vermont Governor Phil Scott called the move "petty and disappointing" and urged both countries to focus on trade negotiations.

"We should be at the negotiating table, finding a path forward that strengthens both the U.S. and Canadian economies. Further escalating tensions does nothing to help American or Canadian families and businesses," Scott said.

The lake, which borders New York and Ontario, Canada, drains a watershed that includes about 5.6 million people in both nations. The naming dispute coincides with heightened U.S.-Canada trade tensions, as Washington has imposed 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, prompting Canada to announce matching retaliatory tariffs.

Hochul previously criticized the trade measures, saying the president was "treating our allies as enemies" and that American families were suffering as a result.