A Michigan CEO has found herself in deep water after she posted a photo of herself and her family in Canada dressed in sweatshirts that read “Lake America.”
Jane Smith, CEO of Family First Credit Union in Saginaw, Mich., told local news station ABC12 that the photos were generated using ChatGPT.
The image appears to show Smith and three others dressed in dark blue sweatshirts, each of which read “Lake America” in big, white font.
She said she posted the photo to her personal Facebook page while on a 10-day trip to Halifax with her family. The idea came from conversations she and her family had about Trump’s executive order to change the lake’s name from Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
In a statement to ABC12, Smith apologized for the post and said it was “in poor judgement.”
“It should never ... have been created or shared. Though the image did not depict a real event, I understand that the image was hurtful and offensive,” the statement read.
“I made a mistake. I own that mistake, and I am committed to learning from it,” the statement added.
The credit union board also issued a statement to ABC12, chastising Smith for her actions.
“Although the post involved Ms. Smith in her personal capacity in connection with a family vacation, the post is unacceptable. … We support and respect our Canadian neighbors, and we completely disavow Ms. Smith’s actions, which were undertaken without the authorization or knowledge of the Credit Union," the statement read.
The board added that it is reviewing next steps for Smith.
Trump’s executive order
Trump signed an executive order to rename the lake on Aug. 27, amid an ongoing trade dispute with Canada.
The order prompted criticism on both sides of the border, with several U.S. politicians condemning the move. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new Lake Ontario sign in Winona, Ont., days later.
The dispute began in late August following a breakdown in weekslong trade deal negotiations between Canadian and U.S. representatives. On Aug. 22, Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs on Canada came into effect. Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with retaliatory tariffs on Sept. 8.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in August found that a majority of Americans surveyed opposed Trump’s tariffs and the lake name change.
Smith, meanwhile, maintains that she and her family “weren’t trying to make a political statement.”
“However, we were, you know, kind of poking fun at the fact that you know one of the Great Lakes’ names were getting changed,” she told ABC12.
She added that her post included a marker indicating it contained AI content. However, her sister took a screenshot and made her own post without the marker.
“We were in Halifax at the time. We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts,” she said.
