President Donald Trump has announced a 10 percent tariff increase on Canadian imports following the broadcast of an Ontario television ad that showcased a 1987 speech by Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
On Thursday, Trump halted all trade discussions with Canada in response to the ad, which reached millions of viewers through networks such as Fox News, Fox Sports, NBC, CBS, CNBC, ESPN, ABC, and their local affiliates.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon, Trump stated, “Canada was caught, red-handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs.”
He continued, “Due to their serious misrepresentation of the facts and this hostile act, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are currently paying.”
At present, Canadian goods imported into the United States are subject to a 35 percent tariff unless exempt under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, while steel and aluminum face a 50 percent tariff.
Trump further accused the Ontario government, under Premier Doug Ford, of airing the ad to illegitimately influence the Supreme Court. The court is set to decide next month whether the Trump administration can enforce extensive global tariffs without Congressional approval.
The 60-second ad pulled from a radio address made by Reagan as he explained why he was placing tariffs on Japanese electronics. The substance of his remarks appear to be unaltered.
‘Let’s take Ronald Reagan’s words and let’s blast it to the American people,’ Ford said upon launching the campaign. ‘We’re going to repeat that message to every Republican district there is right across the entire country.’
In the ad, Reagan explains how tariffs can appear to beneficial to Americans at first, but argued the short term gains do not last.
President Donald Trump said he is raising tariffs on Canada by 10 percent, putting a wrench into Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ongoing plans to renegotiate more favorable trade terms with the United States
Trump made the move after the government of Ontario, Canada’s largest province, ran a TV ad on American airwaves that used snippets from a 1987 speech from Ronald Reagan where he slammed tariffs
‘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,’ Reagan said.
‘And sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American, worker and consumer.’
Reagan then claimed: ‘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 industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs.’
On Thursday, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute said the 40th president was taken out of context but offered no further explanation.
‘The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,’ the institute wrote on X.
The institute added that it was ‘reviewing its legal options in this matter’ before linking people to Reagan’s full address.
After conservative outrage spread online, Ontario, Canada’s largest province, said it would pull the ad starting Monday.
That means it will still air Saturday night during Game 2 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trump did not give any further information about the 10 percent tariff hike. It is not clear if it is effective immediately
Ontario Premier Doug Ford pulled the ad, but will leave it to run over the weekend, meaning it will play during Game 2 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers
‘They could have pulled it tonight,’ Trump told reporters at the White House as prepared to leave for his trip to Asia.
‘Well, that’s dirty play,’ he added. ‘But I can play dirtier than they can, you know.’
Ford said on social media that he pulled the ad after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been trying to negotiate with Trump on trade for months. The two men are members of opposing parties.
‘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 said. ‘We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.’
For now, the vast majority of trade between the US and Canada remains protected by the USMCA.
But the agreement has to be renegotiated in July 2026, and Trump has already called for a revision that would favor US industries.
