The ad, released by the Ontario government, shows the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan warning that “trade barriers” hurt American workers.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would end trade talks with Canada, his largest trading partner, in response to an ad criticizing the tariffs.
Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian lumber, steel, aluminum and cars in the spring as part of a broader crackdown on what he called unfair trade practices, prompting Ottawa to retaliate. Talks on a new trade framework have continued since then.
Ontario, which has been hit hardest by the tariff increase as the United States accounts for about 77% of its trade in goods, last week released a social ad featuring a 1987 speech by President Ronald Reagan encouraging Americans to “Reject protectionist legislation” and “promote fair and free competition.”
“In the long run…trade barriers harm all American workers and consumers…High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.” Reagan says in the excerpt.d
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign has launched in the United States. Using all the tools we have, we will never stop defending US tariffs on Canada. The path to prosperity is by working together. Check out our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ
– Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump denounced the ad as “fake,” accusing Canada of releasing it to influence American court hearings on the legality of its tariff increases.
“Canada has fraudulently used a FAKE ad in which Ronald Reagan speaks negatively about tariffs.” Trump wrote. “Based on their egregious behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated.”
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The Supreme Court will rule next month on whether Trump had the authority to impose the tariffs, after lower courts ruled against him. The rights remain in force pending the decision.
Trump cited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which first flagged the announcement. The group said Ontario used the Reagan clips without permission and “distorted” his comments, threatening legal action, although in the full speech he published, Reagan says exactly what appears in the ad.
Canada has yet to respond to Trump’s announcement. Prime Minister Mark Carney said a day earlier that his government would block unfair access to the U.S. market if new trade negotiations failed. The two are expected to meet next week at an economic summit in South Korea.
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