President Donald Trump announced late Thursday the “termination” of all trade negotiations with Canada, escalating tensions over an anti-tariff advertisement aired in the United States by the Ontario provincial government.
By Friday afternoon, the controversial ad had been effectively pulled, but not before Trump solidified his decision to freeze trade dialogue.
The President claimed on Truth Social that Canada “CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” by running a $75 million ad campaign that selectively quoted former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump accused Canada of fraudulently trying to “illegally influence” the U.S. Supreme Court, which is currently reviewing the legality of many of the President’s tariffs.
The ad, launched by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a self-proclaimed “big Ronald Reagan fan,” features Reagan’s voice from an April 1987 radio address, stating that while tariffs “look like they’re doing the patriotic thing,” over the “long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.” Ontario’s government had planned to run the ad in Republican districts across the U.S. to make a case against U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
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The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute publicly stated that the ad “misrepresents” Reagan’s radio address by using “selective audio and video” and that Ontario did not receive permission to use or edit the remarks.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”
He concluded: “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Ontario Premier Withdraws Ad
Later Friday, following President Trump’s explosive announcement, Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed that the province would be taking the advertisement down.
Ford announced he has decided to “pause” the advertising campaign effective Monday after consultation with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, stating that the province has achieved its goal of reaching U.S. audiences “at the highest levels.” Ford added that the ad will air during game one of the World Series, before being pulled.
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