WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to Apple about changing the name of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” and the company may soon alter its maps, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday.
Trump announced on Thursday that he was changing the name of the smallest of the five Great Lakes, part of an escalating trade feud with Canada that has prompted the two countries to impose reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars in goods.
“The president reached out to Apple directly, so I’m sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America,” Burgum said in an interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” program.
Apple could not be immediately reached for comment.
The president’s executive order on the name change affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which sets the standards for official U.S. maps. It does not have any impact on Canadian naming conventions or how the rest of the world refers to the lake.
Google Maps has already changed the lake’s name to “Lake America” for U.S. users, according to a Google statement.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and David Shepardson; editing by Michelle Nichols )
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