PoliticsAl Michaels Jokes About President Trump’s Plan to Rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' During NFL Broadcast
'We think it is still called Lake Erie on the right...' Al Michaels quipped during a game.
Sept. 1 2026, Published 1:49 p.m. ET
Legendary sports commentator Al Michaels joked about President declaration to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" during a live NFL preseason broadcast on Thursday, August 27.
While calling the New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns game on Prime Video, Michaels, 81, pointed out an aerial view of Huntington Bank Field next to Lake Erie and quipped, "We think it is still called Lake Erie on the right... We're not quite sure at this point. But we'll be by Lake something like Ontario or whatever it's going to be called by the time we get to Buffalo. Anyway, you know what I'm talking about; some of you do. Read the news."
Canada Is Keeping the Name Intact
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected Donald Trump's renaming.
On August 25, Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. was considering renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid escalating trade tensions with Canada. He later stated he would sign an executive order to authorize the change.
Following the executive order, Google updated Google Maps on August 29 to display "Lake America" for U.S.-based users to align with official U.S. government sources, while continuing to show "Lake Ontario" to users in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney firmly rejected the rebranding, stating the lake would remain Lake Ontario "today and forever.”
Mark Carney pointed out that Lake Ontario was named before America became an independent country.
“The name of Lake Ontario derives from the Wendat word « Ontari’io », which means « the lake is beautiful, the lake is great ». This name dates back more than 400 years, well before the Canadian Confederation and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” Carney, 61, wrote via X on Thursday. “We know that the United States is changing. Their trade relations, foreign policy, national monuments, and hydronyms. Canadian women and men also know that things must be called by their name, and this lake is called Lake Ontario — today and forever."
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Several U.S. States Refuse to Acknowledge New Name
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said her state would not be using the new name.
Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, heavily ridiculed the decree by unveiling a massive 24-by-12-foot "Lake Ontario. Now and Always" billboard right on the Canadian shoreline. He told reporters, "President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario."
Domestically, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stated her state would not use the new name, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott called the move "petty and disappointing.”
Social media users poked fun at the situation by sharing memes with names like 'Lake Obama.'
MapQuest gained a huge following after it stated it was keeping the lake’s original name, joining in on the fun by posting satirical interactive features inviting users to make up their own names for the lake.
Social media had a field day with it too, sharing memes calling the Great Lake “Lake Obama,” “ Lake Epstein Files,” and “Lake Biden,” while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker took Chicago’s Trump Tower and renamed it “Natalie Tower,” after the geriatric president’s ubiquitous 35-year-old aide Natalie Harp.
