How 'Lake America' is about culture, not just tariffs

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**Brian Lehrer** (0:35)
From WNYC, I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my Daily Politics Podcast. It's Friday, August 28th.
The Trump campaign to name things in his image continued this week on at least two fronts, finding a new way to add his name to the Kennedy Center building after a judge rejected his first attempt, and he signed an executive order yesterday. Did you hear this yet? Renaming Lake Ontario Lake America. You'll remember he issued a similar order last year to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It now does show up that way on some federal maps and documents, but the change is not internationally recognized. Well, it'll be the same now with Lake Ontario. Why?

**Donald Trump** (1:21)
Oftentimes, they'll ask me, who's the worst to deal with on trade? And I said, that's easy, Canada.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:28)
But here's a reaction from Lob Kinnou, Premier of Manitoba, Canada.

**Wab Kinnu** (1:33)
You know, when like a rock band is really over the hill and you see them like in a casino playing some song from like 50 years ago, I think that's the part of Donald Trump's presidency we're at now. Like he thought he had a real hit, a real golden ollie with the Gulf of Mexico. And he's trying to bring back that. He's trying to play the hits for his base. But I think everybody here thinks it's a little sad and it's not his best work.

**Brian Lehrer** (1:59)
Lob Kinnou, to say his name accurately, Premier of Manitoba, showing a little solidarity with Ontario, the province to its east. You know, Lake Ontario or America, as you will, has shoreline in both Ontario and upstate New York.
Here's Governor Cathy Hokel on MSNOW this morning on how New York state's economy was already being harmed by Trump's trade war and attitude.

**Kathy Hochul** (2:24)
Three million fewer Canadians crossed the border into New York this past year. That's three million fewer people going up to the little shops in Lake Placid or Saranac Lake or coming to the Finger Lakes, to the wineries, as I mentioned, and even New York City. Some of the hotels are telling me that the Canadians are just not coming, because they're not buying tickets on Broadway. So they are so offended, Jean.
They are so insulted by how they've been treated by someone they considered their friend throughout our existence. And they don't understand. I think it's going to take a long time to re-heal this relationship.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:02)
Did she say insulted? Here's Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on the new tariffs that came just before the alleged lake renaming.

**Mark Carney** (3:11)
An attitude at the negotiation table that Canada is a subsidiary of the United States, the Canadian industry is going to be disadvantaged relative to American industry, that we're going to set up terms so that over time, Canadian industry is going to face constant headwinds. That's not something we're going to accept.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:36)
So why is this really happening? Who's really getting hurt or even helped? And what can be done about it? With us for this is Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Politico's Ottawa Bureau Chief and the lead author of their Canada Playbook newsletter. Nick, thanks for coming on the show. Welcome to WNYC. Hello from New York.

**Nick Taylor-Vaisey** (3:55)
Thanks so much for having me. Hello from Ottawa.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:57)
You heard the Manitoba premiere clip. How else is the Lake Ontario Lake America thing going over up there?

**Nick Taylor-Vaisey** (4:05)
Yeah. Wab Kanu, by the way, is the most popular Canadian premier at the moment and has been since he was elected a couple of years ago. So he knows the pulpit now that he commands. As the negotiations were entering their final days just last week, he was adamant that Canada should go for a better deal. A lot of people looked at what he said as maybe not the best tack because there should be Canadian unity. But in the end, of course, Canada walked away and Wab Kanu looked great. But yeah, he pronounced on Lake Ontario.
Doug Ford, I think, is probably the Ontario premier just privately fuming because he is the reason that President Trump has taken this action. There's only one Great Lake named after the province that Doug Ford governs, so Donald Trump went after it. But it's, as you can imagine, not going over very well north of the border.