The Toronto Blue Jays have made their way back to the World Series for the first time in over three decades. With Canada’s beloved team on baseball’s grandest stage, Prime Minister Mark Carney is feeling optimistic. Amidst ongoing tensions with President Trump, who has stirred the pot with tariffs that sparked a trade dispute and jested about Canada becoming the ’51st State,’ Carney and his Liberal Party have emerged victorious in elections thought to favor the Conservatives, possibly swayed by these geopolitical dynamics.

Carney is eager to make a friendly wager with the U.S. President on the Blue Jays’ face-off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, with no response from Trump, Carney playfully suggested that the President might be ‘afraid’ of losing. “I think he’s afraid to make a bet,” Carney quipped to The Associated Press on Thursday, adding, “He doesn’t like to lose.”

The Canadian leader noted that he has yet to hear back on the proposed bet, emphasizing his readiness to engage with the U.S. Carney confidently predicted that the Blue Jays would clinch the World Series in six games. “The entire country is buzzing with excitement. I believe the world is eagerly anticipating this series,” Carney remarked. “It’s poised to be an intense competition. We’ve got the depth, we’ve got the fire. Just look at their performance.”

It’s not clear what Carney will be wagering, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the President is not much for gambling. Responding to a question about the President’s sports betting habits after new broke of an FBI operation which led to the arrests of three NBA figures tied to illegal gambling, Leavitt replied, ‘You know, I’m not sure. I don’t think he does. ‘I’ve been with him quite some time, and I’ve not seen him gamble before. I don’t think he’s a big gambler.’

Tensions between the countries have only grown since last night after Trump cancelled trade negotiations with Canada over an advertisement using the voice of former President Ronald Reagan to speak against the use of tariffs. ‘The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,’ Trump posted to Truth Social. ‘The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court and other courts. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEARBY TERMINATED.’

The 60-second ad, produced by the Government of Ontario, features the province’s Premier – Doug Ford – and pulls from a 1987 radio address made by Reagan as he explained why he was placing tariffs on Japanese electronics. ‘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.’ The ad shows American families, farmers and businesspeople from all walks of life who could be ruined by the tariffs.

In the ad, Reagan explains how tariffs can appear to be beneficial to Americans at first – but looks can be deceiving. ‘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,’ the 40th president of the US says. ‘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 explains: ‘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.’ The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute has said the late president is being taken out of context. ‘The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,’ they tweeted Thursday.