U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada after an advertisement by the Ontario government used late U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s words to criticize tariffs.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump lashed out at the commercial—mistakenly attributing it to Canada’s federal government—calling it “fraudulent and fake.”
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,”
Trump wrote.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute also condemned the ad, stating that Reagan’s remarks were taken out of context and that Ontario officials had not sought permission to use or edit the late president’s words.
The move comes just two weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the White House, during which Trump instructed his senior cabinet members to negotiate a trade deal with Canada covering steel, aluminum, and energy.
A senior Canadian government source told Radio-Canada that Ottawa was informed of Trump’s decision shortly before his social media post late Thursday.
The controversial Ontario ad, commissioned by Premier Doug Ford’s government, includes a one-minute clip from Reagan’s April 1987 radio address advocating for free trade.
In the excerpt, Reagan warns that tariffs—though often portrayed as patriotic—can backfire:
“When someone says let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industry shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs.”
Trump reportedly viewed the ad earlier in the week and had initially responded calmly, even referencing it during a Republican gathering at the White House on Tuesday.
“I even see foreign countries now that we are doing very well with [tariffs] taking ads, ‘Don’t go with tariffs!’ I saw an ad last night from Canada. If I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also,”
Trump said, before adding,
“But I do believe that everybody’s too smart for that.”
However, his tone shifted sharply later in the week, culminating in a full suspension of bilateral trade talks, a move that could have significant implications for U.S.-Canada economic relations.
