President Donald Trump has announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports in response to a disputed advertisement aired by Ontario, which he claims distorts former President Ronald Reagan’s stance on tariffs.
On Truth Social, Trump stated, “Canada was caught, red handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement in Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs,” and added, “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.”
Canada faces a general 35% tariff when exporting to the U.S., with exceptions under the USMCA and higher tariffs of 50% on steel and aluminium. Ontario Premier Doug Ford launched the ad campaign in the United States to highlight the negative impact of American tariffs on Canadian workers and businesses, using excerpts from Reagan’s 1987 speech.
However, the Reagan Presidential Foundation argued the ad takes Reagan’s words out of context, releasing the full speech online.
Trump criticised Ontario for letting the ad run during the World Series, saying, “They could have pulled it tonight,” and warning, “Well, that’s dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can, you know.” Ford later agreed to suspend the campaign from Monday to allow trade talks to resume but defended its reach to American audiences.
The ad ran during a game where Toronto’s Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ford had pledged $75 million to target Republican districts in the U.S. with this message. Trump accused Canada of trying to “illegally influence the United States Supreme Court” in an upcoming case about his authority to impose tariffs without Congress.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in November on whether Trump exceeded his legal powers by imposing widespread tariffs.
Reagan’s full speech shows he supported tariffs in specific contexts but warned they “inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.”