President Donald Trump has reportedly requested Apple to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its maps, according to a senior U.S. government official. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated that Trump directly contacted Apple regarding the renaming. The potential change to “Lake America” is expected to occur soon.
The renaming initiative has sparked controversy in Canada, especially amidst ongoing trade tensions between the two countries. Trump recently signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” following the breakdown of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and the imposition of significant tariffs by the United States.
In response, Canada announced retaliatory levies set to take effect in the coming week. Despite the push for the name change, Prime Minister Mark Carney firmly rejected it, affirming that Lake Ontario, situated between Ontario and New York state, will retain its original name.
Google Maps users in the United States will now see “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario, as the U.S. Geographic Names Information System officially updated the name. However, users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario on Google Maps, although some Ontario and Canadian websites briefly displayed “Lake America.”
Apple has not yet commented on Trump’s alleged request to rename the lake on Apple Maps. As of Monday afternoon, Apple Maps in Canada still identifies the body of water as Lake Ontario. Trump had previously issued a similar executive order in 2025, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, impacting federal documents and geographic services in the U.S. Apple Maps currently designates the area as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”