US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario, located along the US-Canada border, “Lake America.”

“We are going to change the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, and from now on call it Lake America,” Trump said from the Oval Office of the White House before signing the presidential order.

For the occasion, a map had been placed in the Oval Office showing the lake under its new name, displayed in large red letters.

Asked about the message he wanted to send to Canada through the decree, Trump replied: “No message,” before accusing Canada of having “exploited” the United States commercially for a long time.

“We have a gulf and we have a lake. All we’re missing is an ocean,” the US president added, suggesting that the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could perhaps also be renamed in the future.

The executive order tasks US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with updating the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the new designation.

The change will apply to official uses by the US federal government. However, the decision does not give US authorities the power to impose the new name on Canada or international organizations responsible for geographical naming.

The move follows a similar decision taken at the beginning of Trump’s second term, when he ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

The announcement also comes amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa, marked by an escalation in tariffs targeting a range of Canadian products.

On Saturday, 50% tariffs on certain Canadian imports, including wine and dairy products, came into effect. On Monday, Trump also announced that 50% tariffs on all Canadian steel and vehicle imports would be introduced starting in January.