Google’s Obedience to Trump’s “Lake America” Order Follows a Depressing Pattern
Mother Jones · L · trust 35/100
A visitor photographs a "Lake Ontario, Now and Always" sign on the lakeshore. Google Maps now shows "Lake America" to US users, days after Trump's executive order renaming the lake amid his trade war with Canada—while Canadians still see "Lake Ontario." Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP
If you’re a Google Map user in the United States, you’ll now see the name “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario,” just days after President Trump’s executive order renaming the body of water amid his ongoing trade war with Canada.
In an announcement published late on Saturday , Google explained that it “reflect[s] name changes in official government sources,” in this case citing the US Geographic Names Information System .
According to Google, Maps users in Canada still see “Lake Ontario” while those outside the US and Canada will see both names: “Lake Ontario (Lake America).” “These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country,” the announcement in part reads.
On Saturday night, Trump posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting himself kicking over a “Welcome to Lake Ontario” sign and placing a “Welcome to Lake America” sign in its place. His AI avatar then dances robotically to the tune of the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” Earlier on Saturday, he shared an AI video of ducks sporting Trump’s haircut firing assault rifles to celebrate “Lake America.”
Online reactions of outrage are widespread , but Google has long demonstrated little interest in opposing the Trump administration. The corporation followed a similar pattern to what it did when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in a day-one executive order last January. The following month, the company announced the same split—”Gulf of America” in the US, “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico, and the bet-hedging “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” in the rest of the world.
Google has also previously carried out the Trump administration’s bidding in other ways, including eliminating DEI hiring goals last February while reviewing Trump executive orders unwinding DEI in the federal government, and—along with other tech giants like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft— donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund last year.
So maybe we all go back to using MapQuest again?
We’re not changing it. pic.twitter.com/NdeE9v2BNO
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