President Donald Trump signed an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” the latest move in an escalating conflict between the U.S. and Canada that has sparked a wave of bilateral tariffs.
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The move is also the latest in Trump’s efforts to rename federal buildings, monuments and geographical landmarks in his second term. In many cases, name changes reflect the politics of the administration – such as restoring names that previously had been scrubbed because some groups deemed them offensive or promoting U.S. patriotism or pride. In some cases, the changes correspond with what appears to be a boundless appetite for eponymous branding on the part of the president.
While some names require only an executive order to be changed, others have generated legal disputes – and international friction.
Here’s a look at the status of Trump’s various renaming initiatives:
What Happened to Lake Ontario?
In accordance with Trump’s executive order, U.S. federal agencies now use “Lake America” in official correspondence and mapping data. But the order doesn’t carry legal weight abroad – various Canadian officials rejected the change and pledged to continue using the name Lake Ontario, which marks the border with Canada.
“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote in a social media post. He noted that the name, which has Indigenous origins, predates both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence.
Private companies are not bound by the order either. Navigation company MapQuest announced its decision not to change the name on its platform in a social media post. The company later launched an online tool encouraging users to generate their own name for the lake.
Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America
The Lake Ontario order echoes an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office, changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The announcement was immediately controversial, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sarcastically proposing that North America be renamed to “America Mexicana,” or “Mexican America.”
While platforms such as Google Maps and Apple Maps quickly updated labels for U.S. users, foreign governments and international bodies continue to use the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump acted out after The Associated Press continued to use the Gulf of Mexico name, citing the interests of its global readership while acknowledging the new name in reporting. He barred the AP from the White House press pool for refusing to use the new name, sparking an ongoing First Amendment dispute regarding presidential authority to restrict media access based on editorial choices. A federal judge ordered the White House to restore access, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit placed that ruling on hold pending further review.
Denali to Mount McKinley
In the same Inauguration Day executive order, Trump moved to change the name of North America’s tallest peak from Denali back to Mount McKinley. The order reversed a change made by former President Barack Obama in 2015 that restored the traditional Alaska Native name.
While the mountain is now McKinley, the surrounding federal land curiously retains its name as Denali National Park and Preserve. The executive order called Obama’s renaming “an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice.”
“This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans,” the order continues.
The Associated Press in that case honored the name change, explaining that because Mount McKinley “lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”
Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg, Among Others
In a June 2025 speech marking the Army’s 250th anniversary, Trump announced the renaming of the North Carolina military base from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. The base was just one of seven that originally saw name changes in 2023 due to their connections to Confederate leaders. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s renaming effectively reversed those renames.
“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit? We’ll forget all about that,” Trump said in his speech. Because they fall under the jurisdiction of the Pentagon, the forts’ name changes are official.
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Department of Defense to Department of War
In September 2025, Trump signed another executive order changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. The order cites the original “Department of War” created under the First Congress in 1789. In 1947, Congress consolidated the military services into the National Military Establishment, which was renamed the Department of Defense two years later.
But only Congress is allowed to approve such name changes, meaning the official name remains the Department of Defense. The executive order acknowledges this, calling the name an “additional secondary title” and reinforcing the legality of the original name on official documents. Nevertheless, Hegseth and the Pentagon regularly utilize “Department of War” across digital platforms, signage and public releases.
Kennedy Center to Trump-Kennedy Center
In December, the Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rename the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The change prompted immediate backlash, with performers including the touring cast of “Hamilton” and comedian Issa Rae dropping their scheduled shows at the venue. But the choice is fraught with legal battles, too – in May, a federal judge found that Trump’s name was illegally added to the congressionally authorized national cultural center that was designated by law as a living memorial to the slain president and ordered its removal. Scaffolding and tarps were erected over the outside of the building, making it unclear for weeks whether Trump’s name had been removed, though photos later confirmed it had.
The fight is ongoing. Earlier this month, the board once again voted to add Trump’s name, this time under the title “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” in a reference to Trump’s planned two-year overhaul of the center. On Thursday, a federal judge expressed skepticism over the board’s sense of urgency to reinstate Trump’s name.
But the Trump administration refuses to go down without a fight. Earlier in the week, a filing by administration lawyers suggested that the center may be demolished if the renovations – including adding Trump’s name – are not approved swiftly.
U.S. Institute of Peace to Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace
Also in December 2025, the State Department added Trump’s name to the exterior of the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington, rebranding it as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.”
The name change might have caught some observers off guard as it came amid a battle over leadership at the institute, which the Department of Government Efficiency attempted to overhaul earlier in the year after the Trump administration characterized the agency as a “failed, useless entity.” The overhaul was completed after DOGE employees with the assistance of armed law enforcement officers and agents forced their way into the building in the course of a standoff with the legally recognized leadership.
The congressionally funded independent think tank had successfully sued prior to the name change to reclaim control of the headquarters and reinstall former leadership. However, Trump’s name remains on the building with no indication of a legal challenge to reverse it.
What Could Be Next?
In announcing the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America, Trump made some suggestions about what he might focus on next.
“We have a gulf and we have a lake,” Trump said after signing the executive order. “Now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
The president did not propose any potential names at the time, but it’s clear that his work to reshape the country’s geographical icons is far from over.
Trump earlier this year reportedly let it be known that he would hold back critical federal infrastructure dollars from a massive rail tunnel project connecting New York and New Jersey unless Pennsylvania Station in New York City and Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia were both renamed in his honor. A federal judge ordered the funds released, but it remains to be seen if Trump resumes the effort.
While not, strictly speaking, a renaming, Trump is said to be inserting himself in the naming of a multibillion-dollar stadium for the NFL’s Washington football team on the site of the former Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The White House in November said it would be “beautiful” if the planned facility were named after Trump. ESPN reported that Trump proposed naming the stadium after himself.
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