Trump tells Kentucky rally he called Google Maps
Google has changed map labels for the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, saying its naming policy follows official government records.
Donald Trump told a Republican midterm campaign rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, that he had called Google Maps. He said Google would not previously have taken his call, while describing his current term as more powerful.
Addressing the crowd at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University, Trump discussed things he said he could now do that had previously been beyond his reach. He also claimed to have renamed Lake Ontario, referring to it as Lake America.
Google has replaced the Gulf of Mexico label on its maps with Gulf of America. In August, it started displaying Lake America to US users in place of Lake Ontario. Trump's executive order concerning the lake's name preceded that change by two days.
In a blog post explaining its approach, Google said it bases name updates on official government records, using the Geographic Names Information System for US names. The company said its policy accounts for bodies of water with different names in different countries.
Apple Maps made the lake-label change for US users in September; MapQuest declined to do so. The Verge, which reported the rally remarks, said Google had not immediately answered its request for comment.
