While Pritzker never said his proclamation was a joke, it was likely in jest of President Trump's Executive Order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. However, the lake was named "Lac des Illinois" on a map before the United States became a country,

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has halted a key project meant to defend the Great Lakes from invasive carp, citing federal funding uncertainty.

Pritzker appears to be taking a jab at President Trump who signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.