US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on Canadian goods after Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former US President Ronald Reagan.
Trump condemned the advert as a “fraud” and accused Canadian officials of refusing to remove it before the World Series baseball championship. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote on social media on Saturday.
Trade tensions between allies intensify
Trump withdrew from trade talks with Canada on Thursday, escalating the standoff. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday he would suspend the province’s anti-tariff campaign in the US after consulting with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume.”
Ford confirmed, however, that the advert would still air over the weekend during the World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Canada remains the only G7 country without a trade deal with the US since Trump began imposing steep tariffs on major partners. The US currently enforces a 35% levy on Canadian goods, although many are exempt under a free trade pact. Additional tariffs target specific sectors, including 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.
While traveling to Asia, Trump said he was adding another ten percentage points to these taxes. About three-quarters of Canada’s exports go to the US, and Ontario is home to most of the country’s automobile production.
Reagan reference sparks political firestorm
Ontario’s government funded the advert, which used excerpts from Reagan’s 1987 radio address on foreign trade. The video quoted Reagan saying tariffs “hurt every American,” a message originally aimed at discouraging protectionism.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation, which oversees the late president’s legacy, condemned the advert for “selective editing” and accused Ontario of distorting his message. It also stated that the provincial government never asked for permission to use the material.
In another online post, Trump claimed the advert should have been pulled immediately. “Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” he wrote while flying to Malaysia.
Ford had earlier pledged to air the Reagan advert across every Republican-led district in the United States.
Trump declines meeting at Asia summit
Both Trump and Carney are attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he has no “intention” of meeting with his Canadian counterpart during the trip.
In his post, Trump also accused Canada of attempting to influence a pending US Supreme Court case that could determine the legality of his entire tariff policy. The case is scheduled for next month, which Trump called “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER.”
World Series becomes a stage for trade banter
Ontario has turned the World Series into a platform to mock Trump’s tariffs. In a lighthearted video released on Friday, Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom joked about the Blue Jays-Dodgers matchup.
They exchanged playful bets, with Ford promising to send Newsom a can of maple syrup if the Dodgers win. “The tariff might cost me a few extra bucks at the border these days, but it’ll be worth it,” Ford said.
Newsom replied by asking Ford to allow American-made alcohol back into Ontario’s liquor stores. He promised to send “California’s championship-worthy wine” if the Blue Jays win.
Both governors ended their exchange with a cheerful toast: “Here’s to a great World Series, and a tariff-free friendship between Ontario and California.”
