Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America for users in the United States, following an executive order by President Donald Trump to rename the body of water. The update reflects the change made by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), as reported by Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post.

According to Google's statement on Saturday, the name will appear as Lake America for US users, while Canadian users will continue to see Lake Ontario. Users outside the US and Canada will see both names. The company said, "These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now."

Background of the Renaming

President Trump announced on Thursday that he was changing the name of Lake Ontario — the smallest of the five Great Lakes — as part of an escalating trade feud with Canada, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. The president's order affects the US Geographic Names Information System, which sets standards for official US maps. It does not have any impact on Canadian naming conventions, and Canadian users will still see the lake labeled as 'Lake Ontario' on Google Maps.

This is not the first such change: Google Maps made a similar adjustment last year when it labeled the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America' following Trump's executive order, according to both Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post. Apple Maps, however, still shows the lake as Lake Ontario for US users as of Sunday, per Al Jazeera.

The renaming comes amid heightened trade tensions. Earlier this month, Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian products after the two countries failed to reach a trade agreement, as reported by Al Jazeera. Canada retaliated with similar levies.

Canadian and US Reactions

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the name change on Thursday. In a statement reported by Al Jazeera, Carney noted that the name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io, meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big," and said the name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also pushed back. According to the Jerusalem Post, Ford unveiled da sign reading "Lake Ontario: Now and Always" in both English and French on Saturday at Fifty Point Conservation Area near Grimsby, Ontario. Ford said, "President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you, the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario." Al Jazeera quoted Ford calling Trump's order "something out of Saturday Night Live" and saying "No one's going to call it Lake America."

US officials have also weighed in. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul of New York declared that "New York won't be calling it that," according to the Jerusalem Post. Republican Governor Phil Scott of Vermont called Trump's decision "petty and disappointing" on social media, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

In a further development, Trump shared an AI-generated video on Saturday showing Canadian geese with his distinctive hairstyle holding machineguns and patrolling "Lake America," per Al Jazeera.