On Thursday, economist Peter Schiff urged President Donald Trump to focus less on renaming landmarks and more on government spending after the latter officially ordered Lake Ontario to be called “Lake America” in the U.S.
Peter Schiff Slams Trump’s Lake America Rename
Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the federal geographic naming system to reflect the new name.
The order applies to U.S. federal usage and does not require Canada or international organizations to adopt “Lake America.”
Schiff pushed back on the move, arguing that changing the lake’s name does little to address the country’s economic problems.
“Instead of changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, the president should focus on actually doing something constructive to deliver on his campaign promise to make America great again,” Schiff said in a post on X.
“The problem isn’t branding, but too much government spending. Do something about that!”
Trump’s Lake Ontario Rename Sparks Backlash
Schiff was not alone in criticizing the move.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said, “New York won’t be calling it that,” while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered an even shorter response: “It’s Lake Ontario.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also rejected the change, saying Americans want affordable health care, child care, housing, education and nutrition assistance rather than a new name for the lake.
“No, President Trump. The American people don’t want to rename Lake Ontario Lake America,” Sanders wrote.
The renaming comes as U.S.-Canada trade tensions intensify. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods after trade talks collapsed, while Canada announced matching tariffs that are scheduled to take effect Sept. 8.
Mark Carney Defends Lake Ontario Name
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also rejected Trump’s move, pointing to the lake’s Indigenous roots.
Carney said the name Ontario comes from the Wendat word “Ontari’io” and has been used for more than 400 years.
“We know that America is changing,” Carney said. “Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms.”
Trump previously ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be called the “Gulf of America” in the U.S. Trump previously also sought to add his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock
