The internet has gone into full meme mode over Trump's Lake Ontario name change

The internet has gone into full meme mode over Trump's Lake Ontario name change A map labeling Lake Ontario as "Lake America" is displayed as President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America, and it’s making waves on the internet.After tense trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed and the US imposed new 50% tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Canadian goods, Trump turned to another tool in his arsenal: rebranding.On Thursday, Trump issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes that straddles the US-Canada border, as Lake America. As the Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney wrote on X, the name predates the Confederation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence. "The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which, appropriately, means '"the lake is beautiful, the lake is big'," he wrote. The name change follows a similar move Trump made last year when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a change that Mexico and other countries, including the UK and China, have refused to adopt.After Thursday's executive order, it didn't take long for the internet to respond with memes. Here are the 10 best.The online mapping service MapQuest is letting users name the lake as they pleaseSome people responded to Trump's rebrand with a few ideas of their ownEFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Canadian Geese are now called DONALD DUCKS.— Ryan Winchester (@ryanwinchester) August 27, 2026 Others pointed out an awkward acronymI don't think I like the idea of changing Lake Ontario.We teach kids the acronym HOMES to remember the 5 lakes surrounding Michigan.Changing Ontario to America, what's the acronym?SHAME?— Samantha 📿 (@SamanthaRedeemd) August 27, 2026 Lake Ontario now Lake America - I guess learning the HOMES acronym to remember the Great Lakes is no more...Guess its SHAME from now on— Jay Woods (@JayWoods3) August 27, 2026 The name inspired colorful comparisonsLake America sounds like what you would call it if the Mall of America was flooded by a burst water pipe.— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) August 27, 2026 Lake America sounds more like a movie about a summer camp for kids. It can be a comedy or B-movie horror.— Emina Melonic ☕🎥 🎞😺 🖖 (@EminaMelonic) August 27, 2026 Gulf of America didn't even bother me so much but Lake America sounds like a waterslide park where everyone gets tetanus.— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 27, 2026 As far as Carney is concerned, it will be named Lake Ontario, "now and always," he wrote on X. Read next Joshua Nelken-Zitser is an award-winning correspondent at Business Insider’s London bureau covering the affordability of modern life.Through features, investigations, on-the-ground reporting, and As Told To essays, he explores the changing cost of major life milestones, what people choose to spend on when they can’t afford everything they want, and how they adapt as traditional markers of success become less attainable.Joshua previously spent five years on the news desk, reporting from the US, across Europe, and the Middle East. In 2025, he moved to the business desk to cover wealth, spending, and consumer culture.In 2024, he received the Axel Springer Award for Change — Journalistic Piece of the Year and was highly commended at the British Journalism Awards for an investigation into state-subsidized gender-transition surgeries in Iran.His debut book (TRAUMA BONDS: How Generational Trauma Shapes, Divides and Connects Us) will be published by HarperCollins in January 2027.Got a tip? Email jzitser@businessinsider.com. You can also follow him on X or Instagram. Donald Trump Politics Trump More memes Canada