President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” has been met with disbelief, ridicule and outright rejection from some Americans living along the lake, with residents insisting they will continue calling the historic body of water by its familiar name.
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the US Department of the Interior and the US Board on Geographic Names to formalise the change within 30 days, according to USA TODAY.
The move came amid escalating tensions between the United States and Canada following a breakdown in tariff negotiations between the two countries.
But residents on the New York shoreline of Lake Ontario told the USA TODAY Network on Friday that they had little interest in adopting Trump’s preferred name.
Sharee Turpin of Gates, New York, who has visited the lake every summer since childhood, said her initial reaction to the proposed name change was laughter.
