Summary
- Trump called Canadian anti-tariff ad "crooked" and "dishonest."
- Suggested ad excerpts of Reagan speech may be AI-generated.
- Ad uses Reagan quotes warning tariffs spark trade wars.
The provincial government of Ontario sponsored the ad, which criticizes U.S. tariffs by using actual but edited clips from a Reagan speech in April 1987 regarding placing tariffs on Japan.
“Canada lied,”
Trump told reporters Friday as he prepared to depart for an Asia trip.
“They made up a fake statement by President Reagan. Reagan was a big supporter of tariffs when needed. We need tariffs for national security, and they totally turned it around because they’re getting hurt by tariffs, and we’re gaining by tariffs.”
Trump continued,
“Reagan liked tariffs and when necessary, he would use tariffs, It’s made us a very rich country. It’s also made us, when it was used against us, not good for us. But we’ve used them very successfully.”
Trump responded by declaring on Thursday that he was terminating all trade talks with Canada.
The Reagan Presidential Foundation denounced the advertisement as unlawful and a distortion of Reagan's beliefs. The charity stated that it is looking into legal alternatives regarding the audio's use.
Trump reiterated these worries, claiming that Canada was attempting to sway a future ruling by the US Supreme Court about his expansive tariff plan.
After meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Friday that he will remove the advertisement to allow trade negotiations to resume.
Ford said the campaign’s goal was to spark dialogue about the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.
“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,”
Ford said in a statement Friday. “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”
What trade talks were halted after the ad?
The trade addresses that were halted by President Donald Trump after the controversial Canadian anti-tariff announcement involved ongoing accommodations between the United States and Canada regarding tariffs and trade programs. Trump announced the termination of all trade conversations with Canada, citing the Ontario government’s announcement which featured extracts from a Ronald Reagan speech censuring tariffs.
Trump indicted the announcement of being fraudulent and designed to intrude with a pending U.S. Supreme Court case concerning his authority to put tariffs on foreign products. This led to the immediate conclusion of trade accommodations that had been progressing in the environment of tariff controversies and profitable cooperation between the two countries.
The addresses were part of broader efforts to resolve trade pressures following the duty of tariffs on Canadian goods by the U.S. administration before in 2025.