Legendary NFL broadcaster pokes enjoyable at Trump’s ‘Lake America’ change as he calls recreation from stadium on Nice Lake

Legendary NFL broadcaster Al Michaels took a not-so-subtle jab at President Donald Trump throughout Thursday evening’s NFL preseason broadcast, joking concerning the president’s resolution to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.”

The second got here throughout Amazon Prime Video’s broadcast of the Cleveland Browns’ preseason recreation towards the New England Patriots. As the printed returned from a industrial break, the digicam confirmed an aerial view of Cleveland, Ohio, with Lake Erie within the background.

Michaels, 81, used the shot to reference Trump’s govt order, which he signed earlier Thursday directing the federal authorities to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for federal functions. The transfer got here as tensions with Canada over a commerce deal proceed to escalate.

“That is Lake Erie. We think it is still called Lake Erie. We’re not quite sure at this point,” Michaels said. “But we’ll be by Lake something like Ontario or whatever it’s going to be called by the time we get to Buffalo [for Week 1].”

Michaels added, “Anyway, you know what I’m talking about. Some of you do. Read the news.”

His broadcast associate, Kirk Herbstreit, 57, appeared to remain out of the joke, responding solely with a quick “Some of us do [know about the name change].”

The joke got here simply hours after Trump signed the chief order renaming Lake Ontario. The change applies to U.S. federal utilization and doesn’t change what the lake is named in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the identify change, saying the lake’s identify is greater than 400 years outdated and predates each the founding of Canada and the U.S.

Carney said on X that Canadians would proceed to name it Lake Ontario “then, now and always.” Other Canadian officers, together with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, additionally dismissed Trump’s transfer.

Ford wrote on X, ‘It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the remainder of the world. Now and without end,” whereas Houston said, “It’s Lake Ontario, buddy.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose state borders the lake, likewise rejected the brand new identify, saying, “New York won’t be calling it that.”

Trump’s govt order directs the U.S. Interior Department to replace the federal Geographic Names Information System and requires federal businesses to make use of “Lake America,” but it surely doesn’t have authority over Canada or different international locations, worldwide organizations or non-public entities.

Trump’s order is the most recent in a sequence of geographic identify adjustments pursued by his administration. In 2025, Trump directed the federal authorities to make use of “Gulf of America” as a substitute of “Gulf of Mexico,” whereas his administration additionally restored the identify Mount McKinley for Alaska’s Denali.

Michaels has been Amazon Prime Video’s lead Thursday Night Football play-by-play announcer since 2022, working alongside Herbstreit. He is a legendary broadcaster finest recognized for his well-known “Miracle on Ice” name on the 1980 Winter Olympics.

The Independent has contacted the White House and Amazon Prime Video for remark.