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Jane Smith, CEO of Family First Credit Union in Michigan, lost her job after sharing a social media photo of her family wearing AI-generated "Lake America" sweatshirts, which refers to Donald Trump’s relabeling of Lake Ontario as part of an executive order amid trade tensions with Canada. The bank issued an apology and announced that Jason Acosta would replace Smith as interim CEO following backlash over the image and resulting public outrage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jane Smith, former CEO of Family First Credit Union in Saginaw, Michigan, lost her job after sharing a social media post featuring an AI-generated image of her and her family wearing sweatshirts with "Lake America" on them. The photo was posted during their trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, starting on September 11, referencing former President Donald Trump's controversial renaming of Lake Ontario as "Lake America." Smith explained that the intention behind the post was not political but rather a playful comment on the name change controversy.
The backlash from this post in Canada prompted Family First Credit Union to announce that Smith would no longer be an employee, effective immediately. Jason Acosta, chief operations officer and interim CEO, will take over until further notice. The credit union issued an apology for causing concern among members and the community without explicitly stating whether her dismissal was solely due to the AI-generated image post.
Smith had apologized publicly through ABC12, acknowledging that the photo was hurtful and offensive despite being edited using AI technology. She clarified they did not intend to make a political statement but were "poking fun" at the situation.
Written for “CEO Fired Over Lake America Photo” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
The chief executive of a Michigan bank has lost her job after facing backlash for a social media photo of her family in sweatshirts that read “Lake America,” referencing Donald Trump’s relabeling of Lake Ontario.
asserted
that → lose → Ontario
Jane Smith from Family First Credit Union recently went viral after sharing the photo of her and three relatives wearing navy blue crewnecks with the words “Lake America” scrawled in white.
asserted
Smith → go → white
The picture was snapped as her family left on September 11 for a 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but Smith says the sweatshirts were edited onto their bodies using AI.
asserted
sweatshirts → snap → AI
"We weren't trying to make a political statement," Smith told Michigan outlet WJRT.
asserted
Smith → try → WJRT
"However, we were kind of poking fun at the fact that one of the Great Lakes' names were getting changed.
asserted
one → poke → names
"
Family First Credit Union announced Wednesday that Smith was no longer with the company and that Jason Acosta, the chief operations officer, would serve as interim CEO.
asserted
Acosta → announce → CEO
“We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community,” the bank wrote on Facebook.
asserted
bank → apologize → Facebook
“We understand that members of our community may hold different perspectives about this decision.
uncertain
members → understand → decision
Our responsibility is to act in the best interest of the Credit Union, uphold the trust of our members and continue putting our community first.”
asserted
responsibility → act → community
Smith said the photo came to fruition after she and her family began discussing the president’s executive order signed last month to rename Lake Ontario.
asserted
she → say → Ontario
The directive was given amid an escalating trade war with Canada and seen as a jab at America’s northern neighbor.
asserted
directive → give → neighbor
Smith said that her family took the photo and then put it through ChatGPT to add the “Lake America” sweatshirts.
asserted
family → say → sweatshirts
“We never had actual sweatshirts.
asserted
We → have → sweatshirts
We never wore sweatshirts,” she told WJRT.
asserted
she → wear → WJRT
"I understand if I was someone in Halifax and I thought a poor group of people walked in wearing those sweatshirts, it is highly offensive and I would understand why they would be so angry,” Smith reflected.
asserted
Smith → understand → sweatshirts
Her family decided to return from their trip early because Smith said she was getting death threats.
asserted
she → decide → threats
"I am not a person that would ever want to offend or hurt anybody," Smith said.
asserted
Smith → want → anybody
"I do regret having any post that would make someone feel like we don't value them as human beings.
asserted
we → regret → beings
Trump’s demands to relabel geographic landmarks — which have also included changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America — have been deeply controversial.
asserted
which → relabel → America
Tech giants Google and Apple have both been criticized for changing their maps apps to display Lake Ontario and Lake America for U.S. users.
asserted
giants → criticize → users
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