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Apple Maps Renames Lake Ontario to Lake America After Trump Order

Economy16 sourcesSep 2, 2026
Center-LeftRigor 5516 sources

The Story

Apple has relabeled Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for U.S. users of its Maps app, following competitor Google days after President Donald Trump ordered a new name for the body of water. users looking at the lake that sits between New York state and Canada's Ontario province. Users outside of the U.S. still saw the Lake Ontario name. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that Trump had reached out to Apple directly about the change. Trump signed an executive order on August 27 directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America" in all official documents and records. This order also directed the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming service. Google Maps rolled out the change over the weekend, citing Trump's order and its practice of using names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Google stated that U.S. users see "Lake America," Canadian users see "Lake Ontario," and users outside both countries see both names. Apple confirmed it followed the same approach it used after Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in January 2025. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney demanded that the Americans stop doing memes and stop throwing shade if they want serious trade discussions. Trump reposted an AI-generated video on Truth Social where he is seen kicking over a "Welcome to Lake Ontario" sign and replacing it with one reading "Welcome to Lake America." Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on social media that "It's Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever." New York Governor Kathy Hochul also stated she would continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from late August found that 63% of Americans oppose Trump's executive order to rename the lake. Even among Republicans, 43% opposed the order, while 33% supported it.

The Spread

What they agree on

  • Apple Maps has relabeled Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for U.S. users, following President Donald Trump's executive order.
  • Google Maps also made the name change for U.S. users, citing Trump's order and its policy of using names from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.
  • Users in Canada and other countries continue to see "Lake Ontario" or both names on Apple and Google Maps.
  • President Trump signed an executive order on August 27 directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America."
  • Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have rejected the name change, with Carney demanding that U.S. officials "stop doing memes" and "throwing shade."

Where they split

  • The Independent and Truth Social focus on President Trump's use of AI-generated videos and memes in response to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's comments.
  • The Daily Beast and Raw Story highlight internal dissent and "firestorm" among Apple employees regarding the decision to comply with Trump's order.
  • Axios and Reuters emphasize polling data showing a majority of Americans oppose Trump's order to rename Lake Ontario and his new tariffs on Canada.
  • The Federal and TechCrunch discuss MapQuest's decision not to change the lake's name and the resulting increase in its user downloads.

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