President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario arsenic Lake America, and it’s making waves connected the internet.
After tense waste and acquisition talks betwixt the US and Canada collapsed and the US imposed caller 50% tariffs connected billions of dollars' worthy of Canadian goods, Trump turned to different instrumentality successful his arsenal: rebranding.
On Thursday, Trump issued an executive bid to rename Lake Ontario, 1 of the Great Lakes that straddles the US-Canada border, arsenic Lake America. As the Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney wrote connected X, the sanction predates the Confederation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence. "The sanction Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat connection Ontari'io, which, appropriately, intends '"the reservoir is beautiful, the reservoir is big'," he wrote.
The sanction alteration follows a akin move Trump made past twelvemonth erstwhile he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a alteration that Mexico and different countries, including the UK and China, person refused to adopt.
After Thursday's executive order, it didn't return agelong for the net to respond pinch memes. Here are the 10 best.
The online mapping work MapQuest is letting users sanction the reservoir arsenic they please
Some group responded to Trump's rebrand pinch a fewer ideas of their own
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Canadian Geese are now called DONALD DUCKS.
— Ryan Winchester (@ryanwinchester) August 27, 2026Others pointed retired an awkward acronym
I don't deliberation I for illustration the thought of changing Lake Ontario.
We thatch kids the acronym HOMES to retrieve the 5 lakes surrounding Michigan.
Changing Ontario to America, what's the acronym?
SHAME?
Lake Ontario now Lake America - I conjecture learning the HOMES acronym to retrieve the Great Lakes is nary more...
Guess its SHAME from now on
The sanction inspired colorful comparisons
Lake America sounds for illustration what you would telephone it if the Mall of America was flooded by a burst h2o pipe.
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) August 27, 2026Lake America sounds much for illustration a movie astir a summertime campy for kids. It tin beryllium a drama aliases B-movie horror.
— Emina Melonic ☕🎥 🎞😺 🖖 (@EminaMelonic) August 27, 2026Gulf of America didn't moreover fuss maine truthful overmuch but Lake America sounds for illustration a waterslide parkland wherever everyone gets tetanus.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 27, 2026As acold arsenic Carney is concerned, it will beryllium named Lake Ontario, "now and always," he wrote connected X.
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Joshua Nelken-Zitser is an award-winning analogous astatine Business Insider’s London bureau covering the affordability of modern life.Through features, investigations, on-the-ground reporting, and As Told To essays, he explores the changing costs of awesome life milestones, what group take to walk connected erstwhile they can’t spend everything they want, and really they accommodate arsenic accepted markers of occurrence go little attainable.Joshua previously spent 5 years connected the news desk, reporting from the US, across Europe, and the Middle East. In 2025, he moved to the business table to screen wealth, spending, and user culture.In 2024, he received the Axel Springer Award for Change — Journalistic Piece of the Year and was highly commended at the British Journalism Awards for an investigation into state-subsidized gender-transition surgeries successful Iran.His debut book (TRAUMA BONDS: How Generational Trauma Shapes, Divides and Connects Us) will beryllium published by HarperCollins successful January 2027.Got a tip? Email [email protected]. You tin besides travel him connected X aliases Instagram.
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