Bryan Adams Releases Trump Protest Song, Accusing Him of Using Lake Ontario Row to Distract From Epstein Files

Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams has silently protested against Donald Trump's controversial decision to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America', accusing the US President of manufacturing a political spectacle to divert attention from the war in Iran and the Jeffrey Epstein files.

In his new single, Adams does not name Trump directly, but his lyrics leave little doubt about whom he is talking about, questioning the motives behind the renaming row while insisting that the lake's identity will outlast political leaders and their controversies.

Released on Wednesday, 'Lake Ontario' challenges Trump's August executive order directing US federal agencies to use the name 'Lake America' for the Great Lake shared by the US and Canada.

Adams Gives Voice to Canadians Resisting the Name Change

Trump signed the executive order on 27th August to change the lake name for US federal purposes amid strained relations between Washington and Ottawa, with Trump repeatedly antagonising Canada through his trade policies.

The decision triggered a backlash among Canadians, who rejected the attempt to impose a new name on one of North America's Great Lakes. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney subsequently defended the lake's historic identity, noting that its name predates both the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Meanwhile, Adams channeled that resistance into his new song, invoking Indigenous connections to the waterway and challenging the idea that an executive order can erase a name rooted in centuries of history.

The singer then delivered his sharpest criticism, suggesting Trump turned to the renaming controversy when events elsewhere were not going his way. 'But things weren't going his way in Iran,' Adams sings, before comparing the response to 'a baby tossing the toys from the pram.'

He then questions whether the spectacle was designed to shift public attention elsewhere: 'But it feels like another distraction, while the Epstein files were getting traction.'

'Lake Ontario Is Forever': Adams' Message to Trump

Adams reinforces the song's central message in a statement accompanying its release, declaring: 'Empires and regimes, dictators and kings, they all come and go. Lake Ontario is forever.'

He described the track as a message for people on both sides of the border who believe the political turmoil will pass and that the lake will retain its historic name.

The song builds on Adams' earlier political track, '51st State', released on Canada Day in response to Trump's repeated suggestions that Canada should become part of the US. Both songs defend Canadian identity without relying on direct references to Trump by name.

'Lake Ontario' also reflects Adams' wider interest in Canadian history and culture. The song moves from the lake's geological origins and Indigenous heritage to European exploration and industrial development before confronting the current political dispute.

The single will feature as a bonus track on the digital edition of Adams' forthcoming album, 'How's It Goin',' scheduled for release on 6th November through BAD Records. The album is described as a musical love letter to Canada, drawing on the country's landscapes, people, historical events, and cultural identity.