The leader of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," calling for the directive to be rescinded immediately. Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca stated on Friday that the unilateral name change violates a historic treaty signed more than 225 years ago and demonstrates a "blatant disrespect" for the Indigenous peoples who originally named the body of water.
According to Seneca, the renaming violates the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. That historic agreement, signed by President George Washington and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy—also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, of which the Seneca Nation is one of six member nations—promised perpetual peace and friendship. Seneca emphasized that the Indigenous peoples of both the United States and Canada resided in the territory around and along the lake long before the creation of either nation.
"The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action," Seneca said in a statement.
The controversy follows President Trump signing an executive order on Thursday, August 27, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House. The directive instructs the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the lake's designation within the U.S. geographic naming service within 30 days. The renaming comes as Trump intensifies a trade war with Canada, asserting that the neighboring country has been taking advantage of the United States on both trade and military matters. Trump has even suggested that Canada should be absorbed as the 51st U.S. state.
The original name of the lake carries deep Indigenous roots. The name "Lake Ontario" originates from the Huron word "oniatarí:io," which translates to "lake of shining waters." In the traditional language of the Seneca, the lake is known as "sga:nyodai:yoh," meaning "beautiful lake." The Canadian province of Ontario, which was founded in 1867, eventually drew its name from the historic body of water.
Trump’s decision to push for the name change follows the collapse of recent trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada, which led to the U.S. announcing new tariffs on Canadian goods. Canada quickly retaliated with its own tariffs on American products, while Canadian leaders sharply criticized the renaming effort. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the executive order, pointing out that the lake’s Indigenous name predates both the Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. While the executive order changes the name for U.S. geographic services, Trump has no authority to force Canada to adopt the "Lake America" designation.
