An ad featuring the late Ronald Reagan is turning into an international incident that has President Donald Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Canada by an additional 10%.
The ad, funded by the Ontario government and posted to X by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, includes excerpts from an address Reagan gave in 1987 in which he defended free trade and slammed tariffs as outdated.
Trump said Thursday he would immediately stop all trade negotiations with Canada due to the ad. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A.,”Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Ford said Friday that Ontario was pausing the ad — but only after airing it during the World Series games over the weekend. “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter). “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.”
That did not appear to placate Trump, however, who said Saturday he would increase tariffs on Canada an additional 10% “above what they’re paying now,” for not pulling the ad sooner.
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, with Addison Barger hitting the first-ever pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
Meanwhile, Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet next Thursday in South Korea, the White House said, as the two leaders look to deescalate a simmering trade war between the two countries.
The summit will come after lower level talks between the countries this week as trade tensions between the two countries continues to rise. The US is considering curbs on software-related exports to China, Reuters reported Wednesday, adding another layer of uncertainty to trade negotiations between the countries.
The move could make good on Trump’s vague threat to impose export curbs on “any and all critical software,” in addition to additional 100% tariffs, from Nov. 1, after China moved to restrict exports of rare earth minerals.
The US and China have seen their fragile trade relationship wobble further in recent weeks, with Trump confirming last week that the countries are in a trade war.
Late Friday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced his agency was investigating “whether China has fully implemented its commitments under the Phase One Agreement, the burden or restriction on U.S. commerce resulting from any non-implementation by China of its commitments, and what action, if any, should be taken in response.”
Trump has floated a list of demands for China talks, citing rare earths, fentanyl, and soybeans as his top issues to address with Beijing.
The administration is also seeking potential cudgels. In a move that analysts said was aimed squarely at China, Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday signed a deal that the White House said would help supply the US with the critical minerals.