US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on Canadian goods after Ontario broadcast an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
Trump condemned the ad 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.
Relations between Washington and Ottawa deteriorate further
Trump’s move came just two days after he withdrew from trade talks with Canada, deepening the ongoing dispute between the two countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that he would suspend the province’s anti-tariff campaign in the US after discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume.”
Despite that decision, Ford confirmed the ad would still run over the weekend during the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Canada remains the only G7 nation without a new trade deal with the US since Trump began imposing sweeping tariffs on major allies. The US already applies a 35% levy on Canadian goods, although many products are exempt under an existing free trade pact. Several industries face even higher rates, including 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.
While traveling to Asia, Trump said he was adding another ten percentage points to those tariffs. Around three-quarters of Canada’s exports go to the US, with Ontario as the heart of its automobile production.
Reagan message reignites political storm
Ontario’s government sponsored the controversial advert, which used excerpts from Reagan’s 1987 radio address about foreign trade. The video quoted Reagan saying tariffs “hurt every American.”
The Ronald Reagan Foundation, which preserves the former president’s legacy, criticized the ad for “selective” editing that misrepresented Reagan’s words. It also said Ontario never asked permission to use the material.
In another post on Truth Social, Trump demanded the advert’s removal. “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 previously promised to run the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district across the United States.
Trump declines meeting with Canadian leader
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.
He also accused Canada of trying to influence an upcoming US Supreme Court case that could determine whether his tariff policy is constitutional. The court will hear the case next month, which Trump called “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER.”
World Series banter masks serious trade rift
Ontario has also used the World Series spotlight to poke fun at US tariffs. In a lighthearted video released Friday, Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom joked about the Blue Jays-Dodgers matchup.
Ford promised 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 responded by asking Ford to allow American-made alcohol back into Ontario’s liquor stores. He pledged 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.”
