Donald Trump has turned a suggestion to rename Lake Ontario into a spectacle on social media again with his new video of a group of blond-haired, armed “Donald Ducks” patrolling the lake with guns on the water and trucks that look like superheroes. The surreal videos have put an awkward but humorous feel to an increasingly tense relationship between the United States and Canada.
In a 34-second AI-generated video posted by Trump on Saturday, August 29, a group of Canada geese are shown with human arms, assault rifles and hairstyles that are similar to Trump’s distinctive blond hair. The birds are seen marching along a waterfront as dramatic music plays in the background. The scene is set to the theme from Hawaii Five-O and fireworks illuminate a skyline that seems like Toronto.
The bizarre imagery seems in line with Trump’s campaign to push the name “Lake America” for Lake Ontario. Armed birds watch the shoreline and shoot their weapons into the air as fireworks crackle in the background. The video is clearly animated by the AI process and is clearly not a political piece, but the video has become popular in part because it mixes nationalism, humor and imagery that is emblematic of Trump’s political style.
Trump also posted an AI-generated video on the proposed renaming. Trump is seen replacing a sign that reads “Welcome to Lake Ontario” with a new sign that reads “Welcome to Lake America.” The video ends with Trump dancing with the Village People’s popular song “YMCA.”
The social media posts came after Trump signed an executive order telling U.S. federal agencies to use the name "Lake America" for Lake Ontario in official documents. The Trump administration is trying to put the new name in federal government use, but the lake’s name is deeply rooted in Canadian history and international geographic usage.
Trump had promoted the idea in a social media video using a Sharpie to mark the lake on a map. While talking about the proposal earlier in the week, he said, “We’re gonna make a little change, we’re gonna call it something different than Lake Ontario.”
The renaming effort has received a strong response from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney who has argued that we have to keep the traditional name and the history behind it. Carney said that Lake Ontario is derived from the Wendat word Ontari’io that means the lake is beautiful and big.
Carney countered that the name has been around for more than four centuries and predates the Canadian Confederation and the Declaration of Independence of the United States. In a pointed message on X, he said Canadians would still recognize the body of water as Lake Ontario.
“The name is more than 400 years old,” Carney said, stressing the historical roots of the name. He also said naming is part of a larger question about how countries define their history, geography and identity.
The dispute over the lake’s name is one part of a much wider deterioration in relations between Washington and Ottawa. Trump has repeatedly criticized Canada over trade and has also revived his suggestion that Canada might become the 51st US state.
Trade tensions have added another layer of friction. On August 22, Washington imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian exports after trade talks failed to produce an agreement. Canada countered by placing tariffs of up to 50 per cent on certain American products.
The trade dispute has also got increasingly personal. Trump has attacked Ontario Premier Doug Ford, calling him “flunky.” Ford has also hit back with equally harsh criticism, calling Trump a “dictator” and “bully.” The Ontario premier also directed an explicit insult while telling Trump to back off.
The president of the United States is posting AI slop videos of giant ducks that resemble him marching along “Lake America” with machine guns, fireworks, and American flags.
— Andrew—#IAmTheResistance (@AmoneyResists) August 29, 2026
The man with the nuclear codes is literally out of his fucking mind. pic.twitter.com/CUodzBr3OP
In that context, Trump’s AI videos have become more than strange social media posts. They have become another flashpoint in the continuing political and cultural dispute between the two neighboring countries. The “Donald Ducks” imagery combines Trump’s recognizable image and an exaggerated military-style image of himself, turning geographic naming controversy into viral political entertainment.
Whether “Lake America” gets any lasting recognition outside US federal documents remains to be seen. For Canada, however, the issue has not only been about historical identity but geography as well. The centuries-old name Lake Ontario remains used by Canadians, but Trump’s administration champions the alternative name in the United States government.
The unusual AI clips illustrate how the Canada-US dispute goes beyond tariffs and diplomatic disputes. From trade policy to national identity and even names of major waterways, tensions between the two countries are increasingly playing out in highly visible and unconventional ways online.
