Olivia Asher is a reporter at the New Herald Tribune covering breaking news for the Digital Trends Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Plain Dealer.
August 28 , 2026
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
The order would rename one of the five Great Lakes and instruct federal agencies to use “Lake America” in official documents, maps and communications. The change would represent a significant departure from the lake’s longstanding name, which dates back centuries.
Asked about the mnemonic device traditionally taught to American schoolchildren to remember the names of the Great Lakes — HOMES, representing Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior — Trump offered an alternative.
“The O becomes an A,” Trump said. “So HAMES doesn't work, but we just move that S to the beginning and we get SHAME. I think that's even better, don't you?”
Under the proposed mnemonic, the letters would correspond to Superior, Huron, America, Michigan and Erie.
The announcement will surely prompt discussion among educators, geographers and officials in both the United States and Canada. Lake Ontario forms part of the international boundary between the two countries and is connected to the other Great Lakes through a network of waterways.
Canadian officials are expected to continue using the name Lake Ontario, potentially creating competing terminology for the same body of water on either side of the border.
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