Trump administration renames Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” while president jokes Atlantic and Pacific could be next

President Donald Trump ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in a new White House presidential action released Aug. 27. The order cites the authority of the president under the Constitution and federal law and states that the administration’s policy is to recognize American history tied to the Great Lakes, referencing an earlier executive order Trump issued on Jan. 20, 2025, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.”

The White House presidential action describing the renaming is posted on the White House “Presidential Actions” page. It frames the lake name change as part of a broader approach to “purpose and policy,” anchored in the administration’s stated decision to use official place-name recognition connected to American history.

In reporting tied to the Aug. 27 announcement, Fox News said Trump floated the idea of renaming the Atlantic and Pacific oceans following the lake rebrand. Fox’s report characterizes the ocean idea as a joke rather than a specific, documented government action.

The order on Lake Ontario establishes that the administration is using executive authority to adjust official naming in at least one case involving major geographic features. Publicly available executive-order text is the key reference point for what becomes official, while statements reported by outlets about potential future naming changes would require separate executive or administrative steps to become formal policy.

Because the ocean renaming claim, as described by Fox News, is not accompanied in the supplied record by an additional White House action or Federal Register documentation, the president’s remarks should be treated as unconfirmed for now in terms of any actual legal or administrative effect.

For practical implementation, the named executive action on Lake Ontario points to how the administration intends to change the official label for at least one internationally recognized body of water. For any further geographic name changes, additional steps would likely be needed, since formal notice and implementable government usage generally follow documented executive or administrative processes.