President Donald Trump abruptly ended trade negotiations with Canada late Thursday after the Ontario government released a selectively edited anti-tariff ad. The ad features a one-minute clip from a five-minute radio address delivered by former President Ronald Reagan in April 1987, during which he advocates for free trade and criticizes the use of tariffs.
Trump’s decision came after the Ronald Reagan Foundation reported on X that the Ontario government had “created an ad campaign using “selective audio and video” from a 1987 Reagan radio address. The organization claimed that the ad “misrepresents” the former president’s full remarks. Additionally, the post notes that the Ontario government “did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”
Finally, the Foundation noted they are reviewing their legal options and encouraged readers to watch the full, “unedited video on our YouTube channel.”
Trump responded by announcing the termination of trade talks with Canada on Truth Social, claiming the ad was intended “to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts.” [Note: The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next month in a case that could decide whether Trump has the authority to impose tariffs.]
He emphasized, “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY. AND ECONOMY. OF THE U.S.A.”
The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) reported that the $75 million ad which features Reagan saying that “tariffs do not work in the long term,” is “aimed at Republican voters.”
According to the CBC:
Premier Doug Ford says Reagan, his favourite American president, will be easily identifiable for Republicans and they will hear the message that tariffs will end up hurting Americans.The premier’s office says the ad will begin airing this week on Newsmax and Bloomberg.Over the next two weeks it will also start airing on Fox News, Fox Sports, NBC, CBS, CNBC, ESPN and ABC as well as those networks’ local affiliates, and on the local stations of Comcast, Spectrum and Sinclair Group.
In a recent social media post, Ford vowed, “Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.”
Reagan’s full remarks, which can be viewed below, show the context in which they were made. Ahead of an upcoming visit from Japan’s then-Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, he expressed frustration over “Japan’s inability to enforce their trade agreement” with the U.S. on semiconductors — an issue that had prompted him to impose duties on those products the previous week.
Reagan noted that he was generally opposed to trade barriers, particularly over the long term, and went on to explain his reasoning. However, he said that in Japan’s case, the measures were necessary.
The Ontario ad, naturally, includes only the portion in which Reagan explains why he typically opposes tariffs — omitting the context of his qualified support for them in that instance.
As per the White House:
The current U.S. tariff on most Canadian imports is 35%, though there are some exceptions. A 10% tariff applies to energy products and potash, while goods that qualify for preferential treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are exempt from the additional tariffs. These tariffs went into effect on August 1, 2025.
While these tariffs may seem harsh to some, the Trump administration maintains that Canada has “failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs” into the U.S. While most Americans are acutely aware of the drugs flowing into the country over our southern border, few realize that significant quantities of drugs enter the U.S. from the northern border as well.
You may recall that Trump unexpectedly terminated trade negotiations with Canada in late June. Canada had placed a digital services tax on U.S. technology companies — which was to be applied retroactively to 2022 — and was due to go into effect the following week. Trump called the tax a “direct and blatant attack on our Country.” He added that he would notify Canada within the next week “the Tariff that they will be paying to do business” with us.
Upon reflection, Canada rescinded the tax two days later.
We’ll see if or when the Ontario government pulls this ad.
Canada is America’s second largest trading partner (after Mexico). According to data from the Office of the U.S. Trading Representative, total goods traded between the U.S. and Canada in 2024 were “an estimated $762.1 billion.”
Update, Friday 4:30: Asked for comment on the situation before boarding a flight to Asia, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “What we can control absolutely is how we build here at home. And that’s the focus of much of 2025 — generational investment here in Canada. And what we can also control or at least heavily influence is developing new partnerships and opportunities — including with the economic giants of Asia — which is the focus of this trip.”
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY