Could Donald Trump actually rename Lake Ontario?
· Toronto Sun
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And so it is with U.S. President Donald Trump and his plan to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid his trade war with Canada and his war of words with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. The move calls to mind Trump’s bid to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America following trade tensions with that country.
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He even posted an image of a map of Lake Ontario, with that name crossed out and replaced with “Lake America” in giant gold font. Plus it has an American flag flying over Toronto.
Canada’s not taking the bait. Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc wouldn’t comment on Trump’s provocations, saying to CNBC: “We’ve decided as a federal government months ago not to respond to sort of the daily social media posts of either the president or his cabinet secretaries.
“We’re focused on doing what we can in Canada to build our economy and to having a constructive relationship with the government of the United States — our most important trading partner.”
But the question remains: Could Trump actually do this if he wanted? The short answer is, on his own maps, yes, he can. But it won’t change a thing for Canada or anyone else.
Jointly managed waterway
Lake Ontario is an international waterway shared by Canada and the United States. Numerous agencies and organizations oversee it on both sides: International, federal, provincial, state and municipal. Ontario and New York state each govern their own portions of the lake and the shore, and Canada and the U.S. manage it together through the International Joint Commission and the Great Lakes Water Agreement .
If Trump wants to unilaterally change a geographic name for his own government’s use like he did with the Gulf of Mexico, he can absolutely do that. But he doesn’t get to tell other countries what they call it.
How could Trump do it?
Just like he did with the Gulf of Mexico, Trump could issue an executive order to rename Lake Ontario. An executive order vests the president with executive power over the government, and can order the government to take “specific actions” to ensure “the laws be faithfully executed.” But they don’t override federal laws and statues. So, an executive order empowers Trump to order the federal government to take any steps he sees fit within the constitutional authority of the executive branch — the part of the U.S. government that is responsible for enforcing laws passed by Congress — and do not violate federal law.
Presidents often use them. Some are small, such as declaring a federal holiday, but others have been among the most consequential in American history. Abraham Lincoln used one and called it the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed one to force the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. Lyndon Johnson signed one requiring government contractors to comply with civil rights obligations — and Trump signed one to rescind that order.
And Trump loves his executive orders: During his first two weeks in office, he signed almost 40 of them, covering all kinds of policy and aspects of American life. Opponents are challenging many of them in court.
Can Trump be stopped?
Absolutely. The U.S. Constitution was written to include a set of checks and balances so that no one branch wields more power than the other. Congress can enact laws that reverse what the president does, provided it has the authority to legislate on the issue. A court can hold an executive order unlawful if it violates the Constitution or a federal statute. A future president can issue new executive order rescinding or amending the old ones — as Trump did to Johnson’s.