President Donald Trump canceled trade talks with Canada on Thursday after the Canadian province of Ontario began running a television advertisement in the United States that used President Ronald Reagan’s words to criticize Trump’s tariff policies.
The ad, which was shared by Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford on X, features Reagan stating that protective tariffs work “only for a short time” and that trade barriers, such as the ones Trump has enacted in his second term, “hurt every American worker and consumer” in the long run.
In response to the ad, Trump called the ad a “fraud” and wrote that “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” in a post shared to Truth Social. Trump also stated that Reagan “LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”
The Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on Thursday said it was reviewing its legal options over the use of the video without permission. “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the organization said in a statement.
Canada is one America’s top trading partners with more than $410 billion worth of goods being imported into the U.S. in 2024. This is the second time this year that Trump has terminated trade talks with Canada. In June, Trump rescinded “ALL discussions on trade with Canada” over perceived unfairness to America’s tech companies and dairy farmers. Talks were restarted days later however after Canadian officials announced they would rescind its digital services tax.
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