The growing confrontation between Donald Trump’s administration and Canada has now reached an NFL broadcast.

Veteran commentator Al Michaels used Thursday’s preseason meeting between the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots to make a pointed joke about Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.

According to the New York Post, the moment came when Amazon Prime Video showed an aerial view of Huntington Bank Field, the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie.

Michaels delivers live Trump joke

“That is Lake Erie. We think it is still called Lake Erie. We’re not quite sure at this point,” Michaels said as co-commentator Kirk Herbstreit laughed.

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The 81-year-old then noted that the broadcast would be near Lake Ontario when the crew travels to Buffalo later in the season. He deliberately avoided using a definite name for the lake before adding: “You know what I’m talking about. Read the news.”

The remark came only hours after Trump signed an executive order instructing the US federal government to use the name Lake America. Canada is not required to recognise the change, meaning different names could now be used on opposite sides of the same lake.

Cleveland eventually defeated New England 37-13, but Michaels’ intervention quickly became one of the broadcast’s most widely discussed moments.

Vance added fuel with “state” comment

Trump is not the only member of the administration to draw attention with his language about Canada.

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As described by People, Vice President JD Vance recently referred to Canada as a “state” during a speech in Maine.

“Sorry, Freudian slip,” Vance said before insisting that the remark had been an accident. He then criticised Canadian trade policy and argued that the country relies heavily on American military protection.

The comment carried added weight because Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of Canada becoming America’s 51st state.

Hockey enters the trade battle

Sport has also been affected more directly by the conflict. According to The Guardian, Canadian hockey sticks are among the products targeted by the escalating tariff dispute.

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Hockey remains one of the strongest cultural links between the two countries, while the NHL operates as a cross-border league with teams and players moving constantly between Canada and the United States.

Michaels’ joke showed how difficult it has become to keep that political tension outside sport. A routine shot of an NFL stadium and one of the Great Lakes was enough to bring Trump and Vance’s Canadian confrontation into prime-time television.

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