President Donald Trump has reportedly urged Apple to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its maps, stirring controversy among Canadians amidst ongoing trade tensions. Speaking to Fox Business, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum mentioned that Trump had directly contacted Apple regarding the renaming. The potential change to “Lake America” might be imminent, according to Burgum.
Trump issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” shortly after trade talks between Canada and the U.S. collapsed, leading to the imposition of substantial U.S. tariffs, with Canada planning retaliatory measures. Despite this, Prime Minister Mark Carney opposed the name alteration, affirming that Lake Ontario, situated between Ontario and New York state, will retain its original name.
Google announced that Google Maps in the U.S. will display “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario to align with official government sources. While Canadian users will still see Lake Ontario on Google Maps, some Canadian websites inadvertently displayed “Lake America” due to data sourcing from Google’s U.S. API. However, corrections were made on affected websites like Hydro One and LCBO in Ontario, which now show Lake Ontario.
Apple has not yet responded to inquiries about Trump’s alleged request to rename the lake on Apple Maps. As of now, Apple Maps in Canada continues to identify the body of water as Lake Ontario. Notably, Trump previously issued a similar order in 2025 renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” impacting federal documents and geographic services in the U.S., although some online services and news outlets have adopted the new name. Apple Maps currently denotes the area as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”