Republican leaders in the Midwest and Northeast are signaling their unhappiness with President Donald Trump’s plans to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as an apparent jab at Canada amid the two countries’ escalating trade war.
The pushback was particularly strong in northern states, including New York, the only state that borders the body of water.
Trump’s Thursday order requires Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the nomenclature used by the Geographic Names Information System, an agency that oversees federal maps and signage. But the order does not affect states or municipalities, whose leaders say it would require an exorbitant investment to change official government materials to reflect the change.
That included officials in Oswego, New York, a historic port city on the shores of Lake Ontario. The city’s Republican mayor, Robert Corradino, told a local TV station that the name change, if fully implemented, would be “a very costly endeavor.”
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He added that Oswego had no current plans to update city-owned signage, pointing out that the town’s identity remains closely connected to Lake Ontario.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican and occasional critic of Trump’s, was more straightforward in his criticism.
“This is petty and disappointing,” he wrote Thursday on X. “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.”
Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, whom Trump endorsed for Wisconsin governor, joked Thursday that the Great Lakes should retain their names, “unless you’re suggesting we name Lake Michigan, Lake Wisconsin.”
“Now I want to be clear, I said that all in jest,” Tiffany added, “The Great Lakes are Great Lakes, and we should leave them that way.”
The Republican candidate for New York governor, Bruce Blakeman, did not defend Trump’s move when asked by a reporter about it, instead resorting to humor.
“I was hoping to rename it Lake Blake!” he texted News10NBC.
Despite the pushback, some Republicans publicly supported Trump’s efforts — earning praise from the president.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) said in an interview with Fox Business Network that he didn’t think “people care about the name of the lake.”
“I do think they care about fair trade,” he added.
Trump later complimented Lawler’s “fantastic” broadcast appearance in a post on Truth Social.
Democrats, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, indicated Thursday that they would not abide by Trump’s order.
Some in Congress are also preparing to mount an opposition to the name change. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) told Politico she intends to file legislation Monday to block the name change. It’s unclear whether any Republicans will join her effort.
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