 "US President Donald Trump meets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2025. AFP File")
US President Donald Trump on Friday(local time) launched a fresh attack on Canada after abandoning trade talks over a TV advertisement, accusing Ottawa of “cheating” and trying to “illegally influence” the US Supreme Court through what he called a “fraudulent” ad featuring late Republican icon Ronald Reagan.
“Canada cheated and got caught!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like tariffs, when actually he loved tariffs for our country, and its national security."
Trump claimed Canada was trying to “illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country,” referring to a case set for November 5 on the legality of his global tariff policies.
The controversy stems from a Canadian ad that used an edited recording of Reagan criticising tariffs, warning they could trigger trade wars and harm the economy. Trump, who has repeatedly praised tariffs as vital to US interests, called the ad “fraudulent” and accused Ottawa of manipulating Reagan’s words.
“Based on their egregious behaviour, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” Trump said in an earlier post.
The ad, reportedly released by Ontario’s provincial government, spliced Reagan’s 1987 radio address: “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing… but only for a short time,” adding that “over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.”
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More ShortsThe Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation criticised the ad, saying it used “selective audio and 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,” it said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the ad had caught Trump’s attention, noting, “I heard that the president heard our ad. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy.”
Trump’s renewed attacks come amid months of trade tensions. Since returning to the White House in January, he imposed steep tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and autos, prompting retaliatory measures. He has repeatedly hailed tariffs as central to his economic policy, once calling them “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”