Hillary Clinton Mocked After Taking Swipe at Trump’s ‘Lake America’ Name Change
Hillary Clinton sparked a wave of conservative mockery after weighing in against President Donald Trump’s decision to officially rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for U.S. federal purposes.
“It’s Lake Ontario,” Clinton wrote Thursday in a short social media post challenging Trump’s executive order. The former secretary of state and failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee quickly found herself at the center of another viral political battle.
Clinton’s post racked up more than 3 million views within just a few hours. Because replies to her account are restricted, critics responded through their own posts, turning her brief objection into an opportunity to remind Clinton of her election loss to Trump.
Conservative commentator CJ Pearson delivered one of the most pointed responses, noting that Clinton never became president. The Republican National Committee joined the pile-on by emphasizing that Donald Trump — not Clinton — currently occupies the White House.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee was even more direct. Responding to Clinton’s attempt to challenge Trump’s decision, Blackburn reminded the former Democratic nominee that she would “never be President.”
Other conservative commentators quickly joined the reaction. Jillian King Anderson mocked Clinton with a short jab, while radio host Vince Coglianese joked that the former secretary of state was “shooting blanks” with her latest attack on Trump.
Conservative commentator Michael Knowles used the controversy to take a broader shot at Democrats, suggesting that their opposition to the new name demonstrated a willingness to side with Canada in the increasingly heated dispute between Washington and Ottawa.
Trump officially signed the executive order Thursday directing the Department of the Interior and other federal agencies to begin referring to Lake Ontario as Lake America. The change applies to the U.S. federal government and does not require Canada to recognize the new designation.
The president’s move comes amid a rapidly escalating trade dispute with Canada. Trump has accused the neighboring country of taking advantage of the United States economically while simultaneously benefiting from American military protection.
The United States has imposed new 50% tariffs on several categories of Canadian products, including wine, furniture and dairy goods. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has fired back, accusing Washington of pursuing policies that threaten major Canadian industries including automobiles, steel and aluminum.
Trump has rejected Canada’s complaints and argued that the United States has tolerated an unfair economic relationship for far too long. He has also criticized Canada over defense spending, arguing that American taxpayers effectively subsidize the country’s security.
The Lake America decision follows Trump’s earlier move to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for federal purposes after returning to office in January 2025. Trump said Thursday that the Lake America idea had been on his mind for some time and portrayed the change as another way of recognizing American interests.
Clinton is not the only prominent Democrat rejecting the new designation. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose state borders the lake, has publicly declared that New York will continue calling it Lake Ontario.
But Clinton’s involvement generated particularly intense attention because of her long-running political rivalry with Trump. Nearly a decade after Trump defeated her in one of the biggest political upsets in modern American history, conservatives wasted little time using her Lake America criticism to remind her exactly who won the presidency.