Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday that President Donald Trump had contacted Apple directly to request a name change for Lake Ontario to Lake America on its mapping platform. The statement follows Trump’s executive order on August 27, 2026, which formally renamed the lake as part of an escalating trade dispute with Canada. As of Monday afternoon, Apple Maps still displayed the lake as Lake Ontario, though the label appeared above the Canada-U.S. border.
Google Maps updated its U.S.-based maps over the weekend to reflect the new name, stating it follows changes in official U.S. government sources. MapQuest, however, has resisted the change, explicitly stating it would not alter its maps and experiencing a surge in downloads as a result.
Trump’s executive order directs U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), to recognize the lake as Lake America. The order does not apply to Canadian naming conventions or international maps. Google confirmed it updated its U.S. maps to comply with the GNIS change, while Canadian users continue to see the lake labeled as Lake Ontario.
Burgum told Fox Business on Monday that Trump’s outreach to Apple suggests an imminent update may occur. He added that the administration is working to implement the name change across federal mapping systems. Apple has not responded to requests for comment.
The renaming effort is the latest in a series of geographic changes initiated by Trump, including the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in 2025 and the restoration of Mount Denali’s former name, Mount McKinley. The moves have drawn criticism from Canadian officials, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who dismissed the Lake Ontario change as rhetorical.
Hydro One, a major Ontario utility company, temporarily displayed the Lake America name on its maps due to a third-party vendor before correcting the error. The incident prompted an apology from the company, which attributed the change to an automated update.
The trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada intensified last week after the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian exports following the collapse of trade negotiations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with reciprocal tariffs, escalating tensions between the two nations.