Vermont’s GOP governor: Trump’s Lake Ontario order ‘petty and disappointing’

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Thursday took issue with President Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” as his trade war with Canada intensifies.

“This is petty and disappointing. We should be at the negotiating table, finding a path forward that strengthens both the U.S. and Canadian economies,” wrote Scott, who has hammered Trump over National Guard deployments and proposed mail-in voting restrictions, in a social media post about the order.

“Further escalating tensions does nothing to help American or Canadian families and businesses,” he added.

Scott, who is running for reelection , shared comments that echo other Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), who urged Trump to pull back on increasing tariffs on Canada.

The Trump administration implemented a 50 percent tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods on Sunday. Canada is set to match the tariffs dollar for dollar under new trade rates set to go into effect Sept. 8.

The trade war has caused a petty match between the president and Canada’s leaders. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to cut off electricity to U.S. states, which caused Trump to first muse about renaming Lake Ontario, which borders New York.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the state “ won’t be calling ” the water source spanning 7,340 square miles “Lake America.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also doubled down on the sentiment, writing on the social platform X , “It’s Lake Ontario.”

Since taking office for a second time, Trump has tried his hand at renaming bodies of water, including the Gulf of Mexico, which he attempted to rename the “Gulf of America.”

Last year, his administration banned The Associated Press from certain press pool engagements for weeks for not adhering to the switch.

The wire rejoined the White House press pool in April 2025 after winning a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over First Amendment retaliation.