Why was Trump angry about Ronald Reagan’s tariff announcement in Ontario?
President Trump canceled trade negotiations with Canada on Thursday after the government of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, issued an announcement containing statements by former President Reagan criticizing the tariffs.
The launch of the ad last week marked the beginning of the Ontario government’s “new ad campaign” in the US against tariffs, which has been the focus of Trump’s second term.
But the ad quickly came under fire for using an audio clip of Reagan’s tariff remarks, prompting a nonprofit founded by the late former president to criticize the campaign.
Shortly after, Trump called the announcement “fake” in a Thursday post on Channel X that called off trade negotiations with Canada.
“Based on their egregious conduct, all trade negotiations with Canada have been terminated,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Thursday, which ended trade with Canada.
The ad campaign and the president’s anger come just weeks before the Supreme Court is scheduled to review a challenge to Trump’s tariffs. It also comes as the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada’s only major league baseball team, prepare to host Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trump’s concerns about the ad appear to stem from its use of Reagan’s voice and the potential to influence decisions in tariff cases, which several lower courts have previously overturned.
Here’s what to know about Trump’s anger over the Ontario ad campaign, which reportedly cost about $75 million Canadian dollars or $54 million US dollars.
Intermittent statements from Reagan
The declaration included statements Reagan had already made, but took them from various parts of a speech he gave on “free and fair trade” in April 1987 when he announced his decision to impose tariffs on Japan.
“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ Reagan says in the ad’s opening lines, ‘it sounds like he’s doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes it works for a little while — but only for a little while.'”
“Such trade barriers in the long run harm every American worker and consumer,” Reagan then says in the ad. But Reagan made this statement in his actual speech before the first lines used in the ad.
None of the statements attributed to Reagan in the ad were true, as he made them all in his 1987 speech. But critics objected to the rearranging of Reagan’s statements and the removal of the context of him making these statements in a speech justifying his decision to impose tariffs on Japan.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, a nonprofit founded by the former president, posted a statement on social media platform X on Thursday criticizing the ad.
“The ad misrepresents the presidential radio address, and the Ontario government did not request or obtain permission to use and edit the comments,” the non-profit wrote.
Trump cited the nonprofit’s statements in his decision Thursday to withdraw from Canadian trade negotiations.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation just announced that Canada fraudulently used a fake ad, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,” he wrote in his Thursday post on Truth Social.
Supreme Court review of definitions
Trump indicated in his post Thursday, “The Social Truth,” that he believes the Ontario government made the announcement to undermine legal decisions surrounding his administration’s use of tariffs, which have been criticized in the United States.
“They did so solely to interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court and other courts,” Trump wrote on Thursday.
In another Truth Social post, Trump said Canada was “attempting to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court on one of the most important rulings in our country’s history.”
He defended his imposition of tariffs on foreign countries in other posts after announcing the end of Canadian trade negotiations, saying that the United States had become “rich, strong, and nationally secure again” because of his tariffs, and that the stock market had also become “stronger than ever because of the tariffs!”
The Supreme Court will review appeals against the tariffs imposed by Trump on November 5. Trump, who has made tariffs on foreign countries a key part of his campaign, faces mounting domestic pressure to reduce or end their use.
One study showed that American consumers bear 55% of the costs of Trump’s tariffs. A poll shows that a majority of Americans are concerned about tariffs and inflation negating their hard work.
Trump has imposed tariffs on a number of countries since taking office, including an initial 25% tariff on most Canadian goods.
He raised customs duties on most Canadian goods to 35% during the summer.
Future negotiations
In announcing the start of the Ontario government’s ad campaign last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford signaled a commitment to fighting tariffs.
“Using every tool we have, we will never stop making the case against US tariffs on Canada,” Ford wrote on X last week when announcing the ad campaign in Ontario.
Since Trump’s announcement, Ford has emphasized the importance of the relationship between the United States and Canada.
“Canada and the United States are friends, neighbors and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew we were stronger together,” Ford wrote on Channel X this morning. He linked a YouTube video of Reagan’s full speech in his post.
He continued: “May God bless Canada and may God bless the United States.”
It is unclear whether Ford’s acknowledgment of Reagan’s full speech will placate Trump and allow trade negotiations between Canada and the United States to resume.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that he is ready to resume trade talks with the United States “when the Americans are ready.”
