Politics'Stupid' Eric Trump Trolled by Critics for Wearing 'Lake America' Hat After Dad Donald Changes Name of Lake Ontario
Eric Trump's hat is available on Donald Trump's website.
Sept. 4 2026, Published 10:56 a.m. ET
Eric Trump faced widespread mockery on Thursday, September 3, after uploading a photo of himself on X sporting a "Lake America" hat.
The photo was intended to promote the Trump merchandise store's new line of $55 baseball caps, but internet users quickly turned the family photo-op into a blank canvas for satire.
The controversial hat followed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on August 27, which directed U.S. federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Eric Trump showed support for dad Donald Trump renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.
The administration instituted the symbolic name change amid a bitter and escalating trade war with Canada that included a 50 percent U.S. tariff on Canadian steel.
While the unilateral rebrand applies only to U.S. federal usage and cannot compel Canada to change its maps, tech giants Apple Maps and Google Maps complied by updating the name for U.S.-based users.
Meanwhile, rival brand MapQuest publicly refused to adopt the name change, subsequently surging to the top of the Apple App Store charts.
Mapquest refused to change Lake Ontario to Lake America on their app.
“We’re not changing it,” a spokesperson for MapQuest posted shortly after the renaming on X.
Eric replied, “Shocking to see you’re still alive… I thought the iPhone 3 took you out 15 years ago.”
Critics and commentators immediately capitalized on the first son's photo, using AI and digital editing tools to rewrite the message on the cap's front.
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Eric Trump Gets Trolled for His Lake America Hat
Some social media users edited the photo make the hat have different phrases.
Many users photoshopped the hat back to its original geographic name, "Lake Ontario," calling Eric "stupid."
Other viral edits altered the text to read "Delusional," "Fake America" or "Shame," pointing out that changing a lake's name does nothing to solve everyday consumer issues such as high diesel and grocery prices.
“This helps our grocery bill and the price of f------ diesel!” blasted one critic.
Another changed the hat’s wording to say, “I Stole Money From Kids With Cancer,” in a nod to an explosive discovery that his foundation funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for pediatric cancer research into the Trump family's private businesses.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's Office Pokes Fun at the First Son
Kathy Hochul's press office poked fun at Eric Trump's hat by posting a screenshot from 'Succession.'
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's press office joined the mockery by replying to Eric with a screenshot from the HBO series Succession where Logan Roy tells his children, "You are not serious people."
Journalist Harrison Lowman posted, “Soon to be available at the Oval Office merch shop no doubt.”
The pushback is not limited to social media trolls. Lawmakers from border states have since introduced the Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act in Congress, aimed at legally reversing the name change and blocking future rebrandings of shared natural landmarks.
