Ontario Premier Doug Ford answered President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ with a bold public statement: a 24-by-12-foot (7.3-by-3.6-meter) sign erected on the Canadian shoreline reading ‘Lake Ontario. Now and Always,’ according to WSOC TV. The sign, which stands on 6-foot (1.8-meter) legs and is repeated in French, was revealed by Ford near Grimsby, Ontario, as Canadian leaders met the move with ridicule rather than outrage.

Trump’s Executive Order and the Tariff Tensions

On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America,’ according to the Dallas News. The president made the announcement in the Oval Office, where a large sign behind him displayed a map of the Great Lakes with ‘Lake America’ in red letters over the lake. He also had another map showing ‘MAKING THE GREAT LAKES EVEN GREATER.’

Trump has increasingly escalated tensions with Canada over the past year, including suggesting the country become the 51st U.S. state and imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, according to the Dallas News. Canada retaliated with tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances, and farm equipment.

Canadian Mockery and Defiance

Ford, wearing a Team Canada soccer jersey, posed for photographs with the sign and posted a video on social media. In the video, he said, “Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.” The message shows Canada’s refusal to accept Trump’s renaming attempt.

Canadian leaders have largely responded with mockery rather than anger, but Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew compared Trump’s move to an aging rock band trying to revive an old hit. “You know when a rock band is really over the hill and you see them like in a casino playing some song from like 50 years ago,” Kinew said, according to WSOC TV. “I think that’s the part of Donald Trump’s presidency we’re at now.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney also dismissed Trump’s move, noting that the name ‘Lake Ontario’ predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S., according to the Dallas News. Carney emphasized the lake’s Indigenous roots and historical significance.

Trump’s Justification and Timeline

As he signed the executive order, Trump said he had “notified all of the various people that we have to notify” and declared the change “official, effective immediately,” according to the Dallas News. The order also states that the name change should be implemented within 30 days by the Interior Department through the U.S. geographic naming service.

However, Trump cannot compel Canada to adopt the new name; the U.S. government’s move is symbolic and limited to domestic U.S. usage, as Canadian officials have made it clear that the name ‘Lake Ontario’ will remain unchanged on their side of the border.