John,
Donald Trump has ordered government agencies to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on all official documents and databases.
Trump threw this temper tantrum because he couldn’t win the trade war with Canada through diplomacy. Instead, he resorted to childish stunts and silly names. He has made the US a laughing stock worldwide.
Google immediately bent the knee and began showing the Lake America moniker to US users of its map services. Under pressure from Trump, Apple caved soon after. But MapQuest refused to indulge the President’s whims and continues to show Lake Ontario to users worldwide.
Take action. Tell Google and Apple to do the right thing by sending your message now.
Canada was not cowed by Trump’s stunt. Prime Minister Carney and Ontario Premier Ford proudly assert that the lake will “always be Lake Ontario.” New York Governor Kathy Hochul also stood firm and ordered all state agencies to ignore Trump’s silly new name.
Trump’s action is not just childish, it is an affront to the Native Peoples of the Great Lakes. Lake Ontario means "lake of shining waters" in the Iroquoian languages. The name has been used for hundreds of years, surviving French colonial attempts to rename it. It will survive this attempt as well.
Trump is now trolling us again, threatening to rename New Mexico as New America. When will the madness stop?!
Google claims that it has no choice: it must use the names on the official government databases for each country where users reside. But MapQuest proved this is nonsense. The biggest technology companies in the US are not at the mercy of government propaganda and have the tools to make their maps reflect reality, even when the government is led by a mad king!
MapQuest didn’t just reject Trump’s demands, they trolled him right back. You can use their interactive renaming generator and give the lake any name you want! The viral move drove a massive spike in downloads of its app, briefly pushing it to the No. 1 download on Apple’s own App Store!
You can make a difference. Google and Apple will listen to real Americans. Let them hear your voice!
- DFA AF Team
