President Donald Trump posted an apparently AI-generated video on Saturday defending his executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” featuring an army of buff, bequiffed “Donald Ducks” armed with assault rifles and patrolling the Great Lake’s shores.
Set to the theme song from Hawaii Five-O, the 34-second video shows a squadron of Canada geese marching near the lake with human arms, sporting Trump’s signature blond hair, and firing weapons into the air as fireworks erupt over what appears to be Toronto’s skyline, according to The Independent.
The video came two days after Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in all official documents and maps, part of his escalating trade war with Canada. The order echoes his similar effort last year to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” which he accomplished through an executive order signed on his first day in office in January 2025.
The rename directive came amid a broader trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada. On August 22, the Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian exports after last-minute trade negotiations collapsed, according to reporting by The New York Times and Reuters. Canada retaliated on August 25 by announcing counter-tariffs of 15 to 50 percent on over 700 American products, set to take effect September 8.
Although Trump can direct how the federal government refers to geographic features, he cannot compel foreign nations, private entities, or even U.S. states to follow his lead. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to the executive order in a post on X, defending the lake’s historical name.
“The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.’ The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.”
Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister, X (formerly Twitter)
Relations between the U.S. and Canada have deteriorated significantly since Trump took office. Earlier this week, Trump singled out Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a Truth Social post, describing him as a blustering “flunky” who needs to “fall in line.” Ford responded by calling Trump a “dictator,” a “bully,” and the “king of bankruptcies,” and told Trump to “kiss my ass,” according to The Independent.
The Lake Ontario rename is part of a pattern of Trump’s renaming efforts. Last year, Trump signed Executive Order 14172 on his first day back in office, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” which directed the Interior Department to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and restore the federal designation of Mount McKinley. The House later voted in May 2025 to codify Trump’s Gulf of America name change into law, requiring federal agencies to revise government documents accordingly.
Sources
- The Independent — Trump’s AI video of “Donald Ducks” defending Lake America, the 34-second clip details, and Canadian PM Carney’s response
- Yahoo News — The video showing Canada geese with human arms and Trump’s signature hair set to Hawaii Five-O theme
- The New York Times — Trump’s executive order signed Thursday, August 27, and the 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods
- Reuters — Confirmation of the executive order and tariff details
- White House Official Actions — Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order 14172 and Gulf of Mexico rename precedent
- NBC News — House vote in May 2025 to codify the Gulf of America name change
