Trump asks Apple to recognise ‘Lake America’

US President Donald Trump has asked Apple to change the name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ on its maps app, his administration’s interior chief said on Monday.

This news comes days after Trump signed an executive order over the body of water now in the spotlight amid his escalating trade war with Canada. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox’s Mornings with Maria programme that Trump “reached out to Apple directly”. He said he was confident the Lake America name could be seen on its platform soon.

Apple did not immediately comment in response. Only the Lake Ontario name appeared on its platform as of Monday afternoon, although the label notably hovered above Canada’s water border. Just over the weekend, competitor Google Maps rolled out the new Lake America name for US users, looking at the body of water that sits between the state of New York and Canada’s Ontario province. The company cited the recent order by Trump and its already-established practice of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System, also known as GNIS.