Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that New York will not recognize President Donald Trump’s order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, calling the move “absurd” and a “deflection” from grocery bills and energy costs.
Trump responded by declaring that Hochul is “for Canada” and “doesn’t care about New York.”
On Thursday afternoon, Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to update the Geographic Names Information System so federal maps and documents use “Lake America,” effective immediately.
The change applies only to federal usage. This means that the order does not bind Canada, New York state agencies, or international mapmakers to using the new name.
The move comes amid a trade fight with Canada after talks broke down and the Trump administration imposed heavy new tariffs.
Hochul responded to the news in a post on X, writing that “New York won’t be calling it that.”
New York won’t be calling it that. https://t.co/FJQonEk8tI
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) August 27, 2026
In an NY1 interview, she went further, saying, “I’m speechless. It is so patently absurd. Shame on them for deflecting from the real needs that Americans are feeling that we have here in New York. The high cost of energy, prescription drugs, utility bills, groceries. And this is what the president spends his time on? Renaming a lake that was named after our Indigenous peoples. Shame on you.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, writing that, “Governor Kathy Hochul is for Canada, a Country that has been ripping off New York State for years, especially under her Administration, instead of the good ‘ol U.S.A. Can you imagine her saying that she won’t respect or acknowledge LAKE AMERICA. That’s why the Dumocrats are so bad for our Country. Vote for Bruce Blakeman for Governor of New York. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement, and will never let you down! President DJT”
About half the lake’s surface sits in Canada and the rest along New York’s northern shore.
Other governors, including Wisconsin’s Tony Evers and Vermont’s Phil Scott, have also criticized the order.
Canadian officials also said they would not use the new name.
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