Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America”, adding a new twist to tensions between the United States and Canada.
Trump made the remark in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday while discussing the worsening trade relationship between the two countries.
Trump proposes ‘Lake America’
Trump said the United States was giving “serious consideration” to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.
He linked the suggestion to his claim that the US did not expect to conduct much business with Ontario in the future.
The proposal comes amid an ongoing dispute between Washington and Canada over trade and tariffs.
Trump denies language issue caused talks to fail
Trump also denied that disagreements over French-language requirements were responsible for the breakdown in trade talks between the US and Canada.
The latest comments follow his threat to increase tariffs on Canadian cars and trucks, adding to uncertainty surrounding economic relations between the neighbouring countries.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes and lies along the US-Canada border, with the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York on opposite shores.
Trump’s proposed name change has drawn attention because of the lake’s longstanding geographic and historical name.