Seneca Nation Condemns President Trump’s Lake Ontario Renaming as ‘Blatant Disrespect’

The Seneca Nation has joined the growing list of critics opposing President Donald Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario as Lake America amid his escalating trade war with Canada. A map labeling Lake Ontario as Lake America is displayed as President Donald Trump signs an executive order during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug. 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. The Seneca Nation is asking the president to reverse the decision and return the lake to Lake Ontario. (Image: Getty) Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca issued a statement calling on the president to rescind his executive order to rename Lake Ontario. The tribe, which fully owns Seneca Resorts & Casinos, a tribal gaming company with three casino resorts in Upstate New York, highlighted that Lake Ontario’s name predates the US Declaration of Independence and the Canadian Confederation, the latter of which united the British North American colonies into a single, self-governing federation. “Lake Ontario derives its name from Indigenous roots. Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy,” Seneca said. The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world. His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable,” Seneca continued The Seneca Nation said Trump’s action violates the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, signed by President George Washington, which guaranteed perpetual peace and friendship with the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. In addition to the Senecas, the Six Nations include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. Along with its three casino resorts, the Senecas operate three gaming rooms in Irving, Salamanca, and Oil Spring. Why Did Trump Rename Lake Ontario? Trump said the lake’s renaming was part of his “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” initiative, with Lake America “honoring the American history of the Great Lakes.” Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario came as trade tensions between the US and Canada heightened and the president enacted 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada responded with its own tariffs. Trump said he had “been thinking about [renaming Lake Ontario] for a long time,” but acted after the trade talks with Canada stalled and his belief that Canada has “been ripping off” the US for “a long time.” Why Do the Senecas Care About Lake Ontario? The Seneca Nation has lived just south of Lake Ontario for hundreds of years. The tribe says “Ontario” comes from the Huron word “oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining waters.” In the Seneca language, the lake is called “sga:nyodai:yoh,” meaning “beautiful lake.” The Seneca Nation includes five non-contiguous sovereign territories spanning more than 53,000 acres in Western New York. The tribe’s Allegany Territory is more than 30,000 acres, and its Cattaraugus Territory spans almost 22,000 acres. As a result of the tribe’s New York State Gaming Compact, the Seneca Nation established sovereign Class III gaming locations in Niagara Falls and Buffalo. The tribe’s Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino sits on more than 50 acres. Niagara is the Seneca’s largest casino, with 2,500 slot machines and 80 table games. The post Seneca Nation Condemns President Trump’s Lake Ontario Renaming as ‘Blatant Disrespect’ appeared first on Casino.org.