Trump renaming Lake Ontario ‘like something out of Saturday Night Live,’ says Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford ridiculed President Donald Trump’s order changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, while expressing optimism that Canada and the U.S. would eventually overcome their differences on trade and tariffs.

Ford, who was part of a heated back-and-forth with Trump last week after talks over a U.S.-Canada trade deal broke down, said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday that the Great Lake’s name would stay despite Trump’s executive order to rename it.

“It was like something out of Saturday Night Live, when he signed a document saying ‘Change to Lake America,’” Ford said. “No one’s going to call it Lake of America. It’s been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years. It’s going to continue to be Lake Ontario.”

The premier expressed confidence that the two sides will overcome their dispute.

“God bless America. God bless Canada. We’ll get through this,” he said. “Let’s get a deal and let both countries prosper.”

Canada and the United States have been locked in an increasingly tense trade dispute that has led to tariff increases on both sides. Ford said he had advised Prime Minister Mark Carney that the most recent deal on the table would have been bad for Canada.

Trump threatened further consequences last week if the U.S. neighbour and NATO ally didn’t “get in line.”

Ford said Trump’s actions were damaging the U.S. economy.

“There’s countries all over the world that want our uranium, our potash, our, you know, high-grade nickel and every other critical mineral. I’d rather sell it down to the U.S.,” he said. “If you work together, we’re going to create more opportunities, more jobs. If I can say, everyone’s feeling bullied by President Trump, and this is the worst thing he could do for the American economy.”