Through good fortune, topography, and a few ice ages, we’re lucky Lake Michigan doesn’t touch Canadian lands. If it did, a name change would be in store.
Like what happened to Lake Ontario, which borders parts of Upstate New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. We’ve seen the wrath of President Donald Trump once again as he signed an executive order last Thursday changing the lake’s name to Lake America, at least in the U.S. geographic naming system.
This came about during the ongoing spat over tariffs and his suggestion that our once-friendly neighbors to the north should become the 51st state. The Trump administration in August slapped 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada retaliated with tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. goods, including farm equipment, some of which is made in Illinois.
Most Americans will ignore the president’s latest tantrum. Like his renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Both names have become global jokes.
Of course, Canadians have already gone on record as extremely opposing Trump’s change to Lake America. Who doesn’t blame them? The name Lake Ontario has been with North America for about four centuries.
Lake Michigan would have a similar fate even if it barely touched Canada. But those of us living near Lake Michigan in Lake County — from Highland Park north to Winthrop Harbor — know it is the only Great Lake of the five entirely within the U.S. Many believe Lake County is named for the big lake which borders its 26-mile shoreline.
Lake Michigan, the second-largest Great Lake in volume and depth after Lake Superior, is considered the largest lake located in one country. Take that, Canada!
Only the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan share the lake’s boundaries. About 12 million people live along Lake Michigan shores.
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If Trump were to have the chance to rename Lake Michigan, we know it wouldn’t be changed to Lake Pritzker. The naming possibilities would be endless.
Once, historians tell us, Lake Michigan in the 17th century was known as Lake Illinois on a few European maps. It eventually became Michigan — reputedly Ojibwe for “big water” — by some cartographer’s random call.
Ironically, there is no Lake Illinois in the Land of Lincoln. There is a Lake Iroquois in, appropriately, Iroquois County.
While renaming the Big Lake to Lake Illinois might be OK with Illinoisans, those in the other states might rebel at its new moniker. Indiana, already coveting the Chicago Bears — the “pride and joy of Illinois” — surely would object.
Similar to Canadians’ reaction to Lake Ontario becoming Lake America. A large majority of Americans agree with them.
A Reuters/Ipsos nationwide poll of 1,023 U.S. adults conducted online from Friday to Sunday found 63% of respondents said they opposed the name change. A mere 14% said they supported the change; the rest weren’t sure. The poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Another recent poll also found that a majority, 68%, don’t like the name change, with only 15% saying they approved, according to The Economist/YouGov poll. That poll was conducted between Aug. 28 and 31, among 1,592 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll piggybacked another question in its poll, determining that Americans dislike Trump’s tariffs against Canada. Only 20% of respondents said they supported higher tariffs on Canadian goods; 57% said they opposed them.
This comes on the heels of a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week which says Trump’s approval rating remains at the lowest of his political career. Just 33% approve of the job he is doing in the White House, while 63% said they disapprove, according to the poll, giving him a net approval rating of -30.
But Trump would love to have the approval rating of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: 60% of Canadians polled last week support the prime minister’s handling of the trade war. His approval in the French-speaking province of Quebec was even higher, at 76%, according to a Canadian survey.
Meanwhile, the Reuters/Ipsos poll of Aug. 28 to 31 also found that 71% of respondents do not approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, especially the cost of living. Polls are but a snapshot in time, but the mid-term elections are a short two months away.
Republicans should start reading the political room. Or at least Canadian maps.
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Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor, and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews