US President Donald Trump has said that Washington is considering “changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America", amid renewed trade tensions with Canada.
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to do much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
Lake Ontario borders Canada's Ontario province to the north and the US state of New York to the south, with the Canada-US border running through the lake.
On Monday, Trump said that Canada is "among the worst nations in the world to deal with. They feel entitled, yet we don’t need Canada; they need us."
Following the breakdown in negotiations, a 50 percent US tariff on Canadian goods took effect Saturday.
Trump also announced that an additional 50 percent tariff on Canadian cars, trucks, and auto parts would take effect on January 1, 2027, after the talks failed to produce an agreement.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Trump traded insults on Monday following the breakdown of trade talks between Canada and the US.
Ford called Trump a "dictator" and the "king of bankruptcies" after the US president criticised him on his proprietary social media platform Truth Social.
Fresh salvo
Trump repeated his claim that Canada “couldn’t survive” without the US and called Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “Governor Carney", referencing his push for Canada to become the 51st state.
Trump also said on Truth Social that he would “never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing.”
“A weak and ineffective prime minister made up this lie in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!”
On Monday, Carney said Canada “could not accept” a proposed trade agreement that would have weakened protections for the French language.
The US wanted to change Quebec laws requiring American companies to provide French-language instruction manuals, packaging, warranties, and software for their appliances and gadgets.
The White House had alleged "discriminatory treatment" by Canada against US alcohol, automobile and dairy products in rolling out the duties.
Trump delayed their implementation by three days last week as Washington and Ottawa stepped up negotiations towards a trade pact.
However, the steep duties took effect Saturday as both sides failed to reach an agreement, and it hits about 5.5 percent of Canadian goods entering the United States, or some $20 billion worth of products ranging from hockey sticks to cement.
Carney has since announced retaliatory tariffs on the US after walking away from what he called a "bad deal".
He also accused Washington of making a last-minute "power play", saying the US sought to limit Canada's ability to negotiate trade deals with other countries.
