President Trump’s “Lake America” order has made the jump from the Oval Office to Google Maps.

Americans opening the app can now see the new name on the Great Lake shared by New York and Ontario. Google announced the rollout Saturday, and the change was drawing fresh attention Sunday as Canadian officials continued fighting it.

The interesting part is how quickly the argument moved beyond Washington. This is now a name people encounter on the map in their pocket.

The White House’s response Sunday came with a screenshot of the change:

In its announcement, Google said the U.S. Geographic Names Information System had formally adopted Lake America. The company uses official government naming records to update its maps, so the federal change triggered a change in what American users see.

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Google announced that the update was beginning to roll out, rather than promising every device would change at the same instant. People using Maps in the United States see Lake America, while people using it in Canada continue to see Lake Ontario.

People outside those two countries see both names. Google described that approach as its existing policy for bodies of water with different names in different countries.

That distinction keeps the announcement straightforward: Google changed its U.S. display. It did not announce that Canada had accepted the new name.

The machinery behind that change is spelled out in the White House executive order signed August 27. Trump directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to work with the Board on Geographic Names to make the change within 30 days.

The order calls for the federal naming database to be updated and for federal maps, contracts, documents and communications to follow it. Trump’s stated argument centers on America’s contribution to the Great Lakes.

The order says the U.S. Coast Guard provides nine of the system’s 11 icebreaking vessels and cites nearly $4 billion in American investment protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem over the past decade.

It also points to the lake’s role in American shipping, manufacturing, agriculture and defense, including naval operations at Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812. Those are the reasons the administration put in writing for the new designation.

The order gave officials a month; Google’s announcement came two days after the signing. The new label was already being shown in Sunday’s coverage:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is still pushing back. In his interview aired Sunday on ABC News, Ford compared the signing to a comedy sketch and insisted the lake would continue to be known by its old name.

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The conversation took place against a much larger dispute over trade between the two countries. Ford argued that higher U.S. auto tariffs would hurt both economies.

He said he had opposed the trade deal under discussion and defended taking his case to American television audiences. He also distinguished his affection for Americans from his objections to the president’s policies.

But his insistence that people would not use the new name now runs into a very practical fact: Google’s American map already uses it. Ford can defend Ontario’s position; he does not control the U.S. naming database.

Here is the interview from the lakeshore, shared Sunday:

There is a difference between changing an American designation and changing an international border. This order concerns the name used by the federal government; Google’s own announcement preserves Canada’s separate usage.

Still, the political result is hard to miss. Trump signed the order, the federal database changed, and Google followed.

The argument continues. On America’s Google Maps, the label has already moved on.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

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