U.S. President Donald Trump has directed Apple to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America on its maps, according to Fox Business. The move follows an August 27 executive order from Trump that instructed the Department of the Interior to update the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and change official references. Apple confirmed to Reuters that U.S. users now see ‘Lake America,’ while Canadian users continue to see ‘Lake Ontario.’ Users outside both countries see both names.

Trump’s Direct Involvement

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed on Fox Business that Trump had directly contacted Apple regarding the map designation. ‘I am sure we will see this change soon,’ Burgum said, as quoted by welt.de. This marks a direct intervention by Trump in a naming dispute between the U.S. and Canada.

Google and Apple’s Similar Past Actions

Google had already implemented the name change days earlier; Google Maps began showing ‘Lake America’ to U.S. users, while Canadian users still see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and users elsewhere see both names. This approach mirrors Apple and Google’s handling of Trump’s 2025 decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for federal purposes; Apple had also previously renamed Mount Denali as Mount McKinley in 2025, following Trump’s directive.

MapQuest’s Resistance Gains Popularity

Unlike Google and Apple, the U.S.-based Karten-App MapQuest has resisted Trump’s order and has not changed the name of the lake, while As reported by Joyn, MapQuest announced on Facebook that it would not alter the name of the lake. This decision has earned the app significant popularity in Canada, where users have downloaded it in large numbers; As of late August, MapQuest had climbed to the top of the most-downloaded apps in the Canadian App Store.

Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, have rejected the Lake America designation, according to Reuters; they have stated they will continue to refer to the body of water as Lake Ontario. The lake, which borders New York and Ontario, has traditionally been known as Lake Ontario and is a key geographical feature shared by the U.S. and Canada.