CBS News reports Trump directive would change Lake Ontario’s name in the U.S. geographic registry

A report from CBS News says President Donald Trump has issued a directive that would rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in the federal Geographic Names Information System, a database used by the U.S. government for geographic naming.

CBS News reported that the directive directs the Department of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information System entry for Lake Ontario. Under the approach described in the report, the practical effect would be that federal references to the lake’s name would reflect the revised label used in the registry.

The report does not, in the information provided here, include the full text of the directive or a Federal Register publication. It also does not specify a timeline for when Interior would complete the database update, what steps would accompany the change, or whether the naming decision includes consultation with affected state governments and local authorities.

In the meantime, “Lake Ontario” remains the established name in common usage and in everyday federal and cross-border references. If the registry update proceeds, however, agencies that rely on the Geographic Names Information System for standard naming would be positioned to adjust forms, mapping products, and other official materials to match the updated designation.

The Interior Department’s role, as described by CBS News, would be administrative. The renaming would raise questions about how federal naming conventions are updated, how changes are communicated to other parts of government, and whether the change would affect historical references in federal documents that previously used “Lake Ontario.”

CBS News published the report on August 27, 2026. An official confirmation from the White House and any implementing documentation in the Federal Register would be needed to substantiate the directive’s details and legal form before further reporting on implementation steps and effective date.