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Donald Trump has asked Apple to label Lake Ontario as Lake America on its Maps app. The push has deepened US-Canada tensions and drawn criticism over history and Indigenous rights.
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Chicago,UPDATED: Sep 1, 2026 02:34 IST
US President Donald Trump has asked Apple to change the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its Maps app, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The request came days after Trump signed an executive order directing the US Interior Department to update the name in the US geographic naming service.
The move has added to tensions in the trade dispute between the United States and Canada, which has led to higher tariffs on both sides of the border. While Google Maps has already begun showing the new label to users in the US, Apple did not immediately comment on the request.
Speaking on Fox's "Mornings with Maria" programme on Monday, Burgum said Trump "reached out to Apple directly" and added that he was confident the "Lake America" name could appear on the platform soon. Lake Ontario, long known by that name, lies between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario.
Over the weekend, Google Maps rolled out the new label for its US users, citing Trump's recent order and its practice of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS. In a statement on Saturday, Google said, "People using Maps in the US will see Lake America, those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario, and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names," and added that such updates "follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country."
Trump announced the new "Lake America" name last week. His executive order on Friday instructed the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the US geographic naming system. However, he cannot compel Canada to adopt the new name. The proposal was quickly criticised in Canada. The leader of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York also said the move violates a treaty that is more than 225 years old and reflects a "blatant disrespect" for the Indigenous people who first gave Lake Ontario its name.
This is not the first time Trump has sought to rename a body of water that extends beyond US borders. Last year, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America, after which both Apple and Google changed the name on their maps for users in the United States. The latest move over Lake Ontario has again put map platforms, cross-border naming and US-Canada tensions in focus.
With PTI Inputs
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 1, 2026 02:34 IST
