Google updates maps to show “Lake America” in U.S. after Trump executive order directing name change

Updated on: August 30, 2026 / 2:30 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Google announced on Saturday that it had begun rolling out changes to how its maps display Lake Ontario's name, after President Trump signed an executive order changing it to "Lake America" amid a trade fight between the U.S. and Canada.

The president signed an executive order last week to rename the lake, which sits between Canada's most populous province, Ontario, and New York state. The move came after he had threatened the change earlier in the week as tense trade dynamics between the historically allied countries came to a head.

People in the U.S. will see "Lake America" on their maps, while in Canada, they will see "Lake Ontario," Google said in a statement on Saturday. Beyond the U.S. and Canada, people will see both names displayed on their map, with "Lake America" appearing in parentheses.

"These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now," Google said.

The U.S. and Canada have been locked in a tense trade fight in recent weeks after negotiators failed to reach an agreement to…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/