‘Lake Ohio?’ Vivek Ramaswamy Echoes Trump’s ‘Gulf Of America’ Move

India-West News Desk

TOLEDO, OH – Taking a page from Donald Trump’s playbook, Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested renaming part of the Great Lakes during a campaign stop here.

Speaking at a Lucas County Republican Party event, he invoked Trump’s past decision to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

“I like what President Trump’s done with the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of America,” Ramaswamy said.

He then highlighted Ohio’s geographic advantages, particularly its proximity to Lake Erie. Then asked, “Anybody think if there’s a Lake Michigan, maybe there should be a Lake Ohio around here? I’m feeling that, so we’ll talk about that a little bit more as this campaign progresses.”

A spokesperson later brushed off the comment and tole the Cincinnati Enquirer, “The audience understood it was a joke. Perhaps the media will someday get a sense of humor. Vivek is focused on real policies to Make Ohio Great Again.”

The Great Lakes—Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior—derive their names from Indigenous peoples and French explorers, according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “Michigan,” for instance, comes from an Algonquin word meaning “great water,” while “Ohio” originates from the Iroquois language, translating to “beautiful river.”