Donald Trump has ceased all trade negotiations with Canada after a late-night presidential hissy fit over a TV ad.
Trump, 79, fired off a Truth Social post on Thursday evening criticizing the ad, which uses a vintage Ronald Reagan anti-tariff speech.
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A,” Trump wrote. “Based on their egregious behavior,” he added, “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Commissioned by the government of Ontario, the ad uses audio from one of Reagan’s presidential radio addresses from April 1987. It was launched on Newsmax and Bloomberg this week, with other networks, including Fox News, Fox Sports, and NBC, to follow over the next weeks.
Trump labeled the ad “fake” and claimed it was intended “to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched. Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025
Trump shared a post from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation who claimed the video “misrepresents” the radio address and that the government of Ontario did not seek permission to use or “edit” the audio.
The foundation did not detail how Reagan’s words were misrepresented, but shared the full five-minute original video on YouTube. The group also noted it would review its legal options.
Reagan’s original speech discussed a “message of free trade” he had with the Canadian government at the time.
The 2025 ad selects one-minute of audio from the full five-minute speech.
The ad includes Reagan stating, “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. And sometimes for a short while it works-but only for a short time.”
“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” it continues. “Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs… America’s jobs and growth are at stake.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the $75 million ad spend on October 14, claiming, “we’re going to repeat that message to every Republican district there is, right across the entire country.” Ford said the ad was not “nasty” but “very factual” in regards to tariffs.
Trump has imposed a 35 percent levy on Canadian imports, with an exemption on goods that fall under the free trade agreement negotiated with Canada and Mexico during his first term.
The president has already terminated all trade discussions with Canada this year, also citing “egregious” reasons in a June Truth Social post.
At that time, Trump was incensed over Ottawa’s plans to impose a digital services tax on American tech companies. Within two days, Canada had rescinded the tax.
The post Trump Gives Bonkers Reason to End Trade Talks with Canada appeared first on The Daily Beast.
