President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”

“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America,” Trump said.

The executive order comes amid an escalating trade war between the United States and Canada.

“THEY NEED US” – President Trump Announces Tariff Increases On Canada

"We're going to be doing tariffs on their cars that are coming in at a substantial level, because we want to make the cars here," Trump said.

"The lake change, Lake of America, was something I've been thinking about for a long time," he added.

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A White House official told Trump that the order directs Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and his department to update the Geographic Names Information System “to reflect that lake once known as Lake Ontario will, from this day forward, be known as Lake America.”

The executive action marks the second time Trump has targeted the long-enduring name of an international body of water and renamed it for the U.S.

On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The attempt to rename the gulf, which has gone by the same name since the 16th Century, drew international opposition, and numerous media outlets vowed to stick with the common usage.

Canadian officials said they would not recognize the new name.

CBS News has more:

The name "Ontario" has Indigenous roots. The word comes from the Iroquoian word "oniatarí:io," meaning "lake of shining waters," according to the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.

On Saturday, 50% tariffs on some Canadian imports like wine and dairy kicked in, and on Monday, the president announced 50% tariffs on all Canadian steel and automotive imports starting in January.

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that starting Sept. 8, Canada will begin imposing matching tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars of U.S. goods.

Mr. Trump also sought to change North America's highest mountain peak, Denali in Alaska, back to Mount McKinley. Although the federal government can't force other countries or private businesses to recognize the GNIS, when Mr. Trump sought to change the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," some private entities adopted the new name.

Still, the White House punished the Associated Press after it declined to use "Gulf of America," restricting its reporters' access to White House and presidential spaces available to other news outlets.

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