Donald Trump throwing tantrums is not new. Neither is his obsession with naming, renaming, and nicknaming things to placate his own ego or settle scores. So it came as no surprise when the president issued yet another ridiculous executive order in late August declaring that, henceforth, Lake Ontario would be called "Lake America." Not because the geography changed or any actual laws were passed, but because his idiotic trade war with Canada isn't exactly going as planned and he simply can't stand not getting his way.
Tell Google and Apple to stop caving to Donald Trump's ridiculous demands!
Sitting along the northwestern New York border between the United States and Canada, the smallest of the Great Lakes has been called Lake Ontario since at least 1639, long before either country existed.
Google and Apple, having already checked their spines at the White House's front door when they went along with Donald's Gulf of Mexico name-change stunt last year, dutifully agreed to play make-believe once again with the president. Anyone using Google Maps or Apple Maps from within the United States now sees "Lake America." The rest of the world still sees Lake Ontario, of course. Why? Because THAT'S THE NAME OF THE LAKE.
In a masterstroke return to relevancy, MapQuest, of all companies, refused to play ball and has since become the #1 app in the entire US App Store — proof positive that it's actually quite easy and advantageous to stand up to a bully.
Maps exist to reflect geographic reality. And Donald Trump's mood swings are not geological events. Every time Google and Apple rename a body of water on command, they're actually taking a political stand — a remarkably stupid one at that — and signaling to the White House that their fealty and compliance are just a tantrum and Sharpie-stroke away. Enough already. Tell Google And Apple to join MapQuest and stand up to the 80-year-old bully currently holding clown court in the Oval Office.
Tell Google and Apple to stop caving to Donald Trump and his ridiculous name-change stunts!
