# Cleveland's Gulf of Cleveland mocks the renaming wars

> A city council votes to rename part of Lake Erie as satire against Trump's geographic rebranding push.
- Title: Cleveland's Gulf of Cleveland mocks the renaming wars
- Summary: A city council votes to rename part of Lake Erie as satire against Trump's geographic rebranding push. Cleveland's symbolic renaming of a Lake Erie stretch…
- Keywords: cleveland, lake erie, gulf of cleveland, kris harsh, donald trump, geographic renaming, city council vote, satire, lake ontario, gulf of mexico, pennsylvania, david maloney
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/official-filed-rename-lake-erie-admits-shockingly-dumb-12448656
- Published: 2026-09-16T14:21:31+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cleveland, lake erie, gulf of cleveland, kris harsh, donald trump, geographic renaming, city council vote, satire, lake ontario, gulf of mexico, pennsylvania, david maloney
## Cleveland renames Lake Erie stretch
Cleveland City Council voted 13-1 to rename a 2-mile stretch of Lake Erie the "Gulf of Cleveland" in an intentionally absurd move meant to mock recent renaming campaigns.

> It's shockingly dumb. And that's the point.
## Councilmember Harsh explains the satire
Kris Harsh introduced the emergency resolution as a satirical response to Trump's renaming efforts. He said if everyone gets to rename things, "we'll make it the Gulf of Cleveland."

> If everybody gets to rename something, then screw it.
## Trump's renaming campaign explained
Trump directed federal agencies to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" and signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America" for U.S. government use.
## Pennsylvania wants Lake Erie renamed
Republican State Representative David Maloney proposed renaming Lake Erie as "Lake Pennsylvania," arguing that Pennsylvanians use the lake for recreation and should claim ownership.

> Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes.
## Harsh criticizes Trump's distraction tactics
Harsh told Newsweek the renaming efforts distract from serious issues like Trump's military actions. He said Americans need to stop treating politics as a joke.

> It's a convenient distraction for Trump to cover up the fact that he started a war that he can't win.
## Trump's other renaming proposals
Trump has also suggested renaming New Mexico to "New America," though Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said that "isn't up for debate."
## Key takeaway

Cleveland's symbolic renaming of a Lake Erie stretch is a satirical jab at Trump's efforts to rebrand major geographic features like the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.