Polls Show Majority of Americans Oppose Trump's Lake Ontario Renaming and Tariffs on Canada

<p>President Trump's order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" has not gained support among Americans, with a majority opposing both the name change and new tariffs on Canada, according to recent polling.</p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Following the collapse of trade talks between the U.S. and Canada last month, the Trump administration has intensified its disputes with Canada.</p><hr /><ul><li>As the midterm elections approach, polling indicates that Americans are not in favor of the conflict.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> A Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted in late August found that over 63% of Americans oppose Trump's executive order directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to rename the lake, which is located on the U.S.–Canada border.</p><ul><li>Among Republicans, 43% opposed the order while 33% supported it.</li><li>A significant majority of Democrats (84%) and independents (65%) also opposed the name change.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side: </strong>In response to the polling, the White House criticized Canada in a statement to Axios.</p><ul><li>"Canada has been a bad neighbor by ripping off our country for years," stated spokesperson Taylor Rogers. "President Trump promised voters that he would not allow our country to be taken advantage of anymore, which is why he is fighting so hard to protect American industries and workers."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out:</strong> An Economist–YouGov survey of 1,592 U.S. citizens found that 68% oppose changing the lake's name, a sentiment echoed by 43% of Trump voters.</p><ul><li>Only 36% of Trump voters approve of the name change.</li></ul><p><strong>Friction point:</strong> Despite the opposition, both Apple and Google have updated their map labels for the lake for U.S. users.</p><ul><li>Google stated it made the change to align with updates from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, noting that users in Canada will continue to see "Lake Ontario," while others will see both names.</li><li>Apple made the change following a personal appeal from Trump, according to Burgum.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Trump's new tariffs on Canada are also facing disapproval, with 57% opposing them and only 20% supporting them. Additionally, 21% are unsure.</p><ul><li>Canada is expected to retaliate against the new 50% U.S. tariff on approximately $20 billion of Canadian goods.</li><li>While 82% of Democrats and 59% of independents oppose the tariffs, more Republicans support them (44%) than oppose them (33%), with 22% unsure.</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line: </strong>On social media and in trade policy, the Trump administration continues its conflict with Canada.</p><ul><li>However, polling indicates that more Americans believe the U.S. is responsible for the trade war (46%) compared to Canada (12%), and only 4% believe it will positively impact their personal finances.</li></ul><p><strong>The fine print:</strong><em> Ipsos surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,023 adults between Aug. 28-30, 2026. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.</em></p><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/27/trump-lake-ontario-america-democrats-bill" target="_blank">Scoop: Dems plan bill to counter Trump's "Lake America" order</a></p>