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US President Donald Trump has abruptly ended all trade negotiations with Canada after an advert criticised the tariffs his administration imposed on the country.
The advert, funded by Ontario’s provincial government, featured a quote from former US President Ronald Reagan — a conservative icon — stating that tariffs “hurt every American.”
Trump denounced the advert on social media as “FAKE” and “egregious”, declaring that trade talks were “HEREBY TERMINATED”.
His government has introduced a 35% tariff on numerous Canadian imports, alongside targeted levies on key sectors such as car and steel manufacturing — industries that have hit Ontario particularly hard.
While exemptions remain in place for goods covered under the North American free trade deal negotiated during Trump’s first term, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been attempting to reach a compromise to ease the tariffs since taking office earlier this year.
However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford — a fierce critic of US tariffs on Canadian exports — has complicated these efforts.
The one-minute advert, released last week, used clips of Reagan’s 1987 national radio address on trade, accompanied by imagery of the New York Stock Exchange and cranes bearing both US and Canadian flags.
In the advert, Reagan warns: “When someone says ‘let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports’, it might seem patriotic, but in the long run such barriers harm every American worker and consumer.” He goes on to caution that trade wars lead to job losses and economic collapse.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation condemned the advert, saying it “misrepresents” the late president’s remarks and that Ontario officials failed to seek permission to use them. The foundation added it was considering legal action.
Trump cited the foundation’s statement, claiming the advert aimed to “interfere” with the forthcoming US Supreme Court decision on whether his broad tariffs are lawful — a ruling that could determine the fate of billions collected in duties.
Although the advert rearranges the order of Reagan’s comments, it does not alter his words. His original five-minute speech — Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade — defended limited tariffs on Japanese goods while reaffirming his support for open markets.
The advert forms part of a C$75 million (£40 million; $54 million) campaign airing on major US television networks. In a post accompanying it, Ford vowed that Ontario would “never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada.”
China’s embassy in Washington also used similar Reagan footage earlier this year to criticise Trump’s global tariff policy.
Ontario, Canada’s largest province by population and economy, has borne the brunt of the US tariffs. Ford has previously threatened to cut power exports to the US and accused Washington of “stabbing Canada in the back.”
Trump’s tariffs include a 50% duty on metals and 25% on cars — measures that have caused job losses and squeezed Canadian manufacturers.
Neither Carney nor Ford has yet responded to Trump’s latest announcement, marking the second time he has broken off talks with Canada.
The first occurred after Ottawa’s proposed digital services tax on US tech firms, which it later scrapped under White House pressure.
