Trump Provokes Canada by Signing Executive Order to Rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America'

[Anchor]

Amid an ongoing trade war with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump has made a provocative move by signing an order to rename Lake Ontario, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border, to "Lake America." There are also reports that the Trump administration plans to impose steep tariffs on semiconductors.

Correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam reports from Washington.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario, located between the U.S. and Canada, to "Lake America."

Lake Ontario is one of North America's Great Lakes. President Trump abruptly announced the name change on Wednesday (August 26) as trade disputes with Canada intensified.

The move is interpreted as a provocative measure aimed at antagonizing Canada.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : Canada has ripped off the United States on trade for a long time. They don't pay a single cent, yet they want to be treated as if they are a U.S. state. They are the worst trade partner. They wrongly think they have the right to do so, and we will never accept that.]

However, the name change applies only to the U.S. government's official geographic naming system and cannot be forced upon Canada.

Previously, on August 22, the U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on USD 20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including certain dairy products and wine.

The trade war escalated in earnest when Canada opted out of negotiations, responding with retaliatory tariffs on some 700 items, including U.S. steel and dairy products.

[Doug Ford / Premier of Ontario, Canada : President Trump is the kind of guy who will steal your allowance on the first day, your hat on the second day, and your sneakers on the third day. He is someone who can never be trusted.]

Adding to this, President Trump retaliated by vowing to raise tariffs on automobiles and other goods to 50% starting next year, deepening tensions between the closest of allies.

Meanwhile, U.S. political media outlet Politico reported that the Trump administration is considering measures to impose high tariffs on imported semiconductors.

Despite opposition from big tech companies warning that the U.S. could lose its AI industry dominance to China, the administration appears to believe that using tariff pressure to lure semiconductor manufacturing facilities to the U.S. and create more jobs will help secure a victory in the midterm elections.

In response, U.S. media outlets have launched consecutive criticisms, pointing out that Trump's semiconductor tariff policies conflict with his campaign promise to "win the AI race."

(Video by Park Eun-ha | Video Editing by Kim Jin-won | Graphics by Kim Na-mi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.