Washington, DC [US], August 26 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was considering renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America", escalating diplomatic friction with neighbouring Canada.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump linked the potential renaming to trade relations, stating, "The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don't expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer."
The body of water serves as a natural border separating the province of Ontario from New York state and forms part of the five Great Lakes of North America.
Dismissing the US President's statement, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the proposal "a lot of rhetoric" while emphasising the province's economic standing.
"I think it's a lot of rhetoric because we're the No. 1 customer to 17 states, No. 2 to 12 others. Ontario alone, if Ontario was just standalone, would be the third-largest trading partner in the world," Ford told CNN.
Concurrently, Trump rejected claims that a disagreement over Canada's French-language requirements led to the derailing of trade talks.
"I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French!" Trump wrote in a separate post on Truth Social, adding, "I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing."
Directing criticism towards Ottawa's leadership, Trump wrote, "This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!"
The sharp exchange follows statements on Monday by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who claimed US negotiators had proposed changes that could put Quebec's French-language protections at risk.
Trade officials in Washington have objected to Canadian rules requiring streaming platforms to give greater prominence to French-language content in Quebec, listing the measures as a trade barrier.
Both English and French serve as Canada's official languages, holding equal status under the country's constitution. (ANI)
Trump floats renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America', says 'I love French Canadians' amid trade war
