By Zoila Palma: U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing his administration to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” escalating tensions with Canada as the two countries remain locked in a worsening trade dispute.
Trump signed the order in the Oval Office today, instructing the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formalize the name change within 30 days.
During the signing, Trump compared the move to his decision last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” joking that the next step could be renaming one of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.
The name Lake Ontario dates back centuries and is derived from an Iroquois word meaning “lake of shining waters.” The lake forms part of the shoreline of Toronto, Canada, while most of its volume and its deepest areas are on the U.S. side.
White House staff secretary Ben Moss described it as an “American lake” as he presented the order to Trump for signing.
The renaming comes amid a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Canada trade relations.
Trump recently imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on a range of Canadian goods after trade negotiations broke down, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with tariffs on U.S. exports ranging from 15 to 50 percent. Trump has also threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts from 25 to 50 percent.
Canada has rejected the proposed name change and indicated it will continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario.
The post International News: Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed ‘Lake America’ due to escalating U.S.-Canada Trade War appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing his administration to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” escalating tensions with Canada as the two countries remain locked in a worsening trade dispute. Trump signed the order in the Oval Office today, instructing the U.S. Department of the Interior and the
The post International News: Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed ‘Lake America’ due to escalating U.S.-Canada Trade War appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
