Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson took aim as US President Donald Trump’s ‘Lake America’ antics as the metal giants opened their Run For Your Lives Tour in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday night.
Trump is in an ongoing trade war with his northern neighbours and has been delivering a series of jibes, including saying he would make Canada the “51st State” of the US.
And after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from trade talks this week, claiming the US negotiators had tried to move the goalposts at the last minute, Trump predictably did not take it well.
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In an orchestrated media conference in the Oval Office this week, Trump crossed out the name of Lake Ontario on a map using a marker pen, and wrote “Lake America” in its place. He previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Of America.
Dickinson has joined a string of people in pouring scorn on Trump’s stunt, telling the sold out audience at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night: “How long has it been since we have been to Toronto? Too long, too long. And in Canada, in fact.
“We got here, we crossed Lake Ontario, we will be crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
“It is a ridiculous state of the world.”
Trump’s stunt has drawn ridicule and anger from Canada and beyond. Carney responded by saying that no matter what the US calls it, Canadians will know it as “Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”
Ontario’s top-ranking politician, Premier Doug Ford, also hit back, comparing Trump’s stunt to a sketch from Saturday Night Live.
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes of North America and sits between the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and the US state of New York to the south. Toronto is the capital city of Ontario.
Iron Maiden North American tour 2026 remaining dates
Aug 30: Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *
Sep 03: Montréal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau *^
Sep 05: Harrison, NJ – Sports Illustrated Stadium *^
Sep 09: Boston, MA – TD Garden *
Sep 11: Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live *
Sep 12: Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion *
Sep 15: Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium *
Sep 17: Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
Sep 19: Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater *
Sep 22: Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
Sep 25: Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium *^
Sep 29: San Antonio, TX – Alamodome *^
* Megadeth supporting
^ Anthrax supporting
