‘Shame on you’: Kathy Hochul says NY will not recognize new ‘Lake America’ name

“New York won’t be calling it that,” Hochul wrote in the wake of Trump signing the order.

In an interview with NY1, Hochul criticized Trump’s priorities. “I'm speechless. It is so patently absurd. Shame on them for deflecting from the real needs that Americans are feeling that we have here in New York. The high cost of energy, prescription drugs, utility bills, groceries. And this is what the president spends his time on? Renaming a lake that was named after our Indigenous peoples. Shame on you.”

Other New York Democrats criticized the move. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it was “juvenile.”

He wrote, “Instead of lowering costs and cancelling his damaging tariffs, Trump is doubling down on a juvenile effort to rename one of the Great Lakes. He’s escalating his reckless tariff war with our closest trading partner and ally, which will continue to drive up costs for Upstate New York families, seniors and small businesses. It’s a pathetic attempt at distraction, and it’s working families who are paying the price.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote, “Donald Trump picked a fight with Canada that is costing you money. Instead of fixing it, he is spending your tax dollars to rename Lake Ontario. Republicans don’t give a damn about making your life more affordable.”

The order, which affects only federal entities, was “effective immediately,” Trump said. A letter posted by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday directed the Board on Geographic Names to update the Geographic Names Information System with the new name. The GNIS is the official federal database and standard for the names of locations across the US.