President Trump said late Thursday he’s ending trade talks with Canada, citing an anti-tariff ad campaign by the province of Ontario that uses late President Ronald Reagan’s voice.
“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The president appeared to be referencing an ad released last week by Ontario that includes excerpts from a 1987 radio address given by Reagan, in which the former president said tariffs work “only for a short time” and “hurt every American worker and consumer.”
“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” Reagan said, as quoted by the ad.
CBS News has reached out to the White House, Global Affairs Canada, and the Ontario premier’s office for comment.
Earlier Thursday, the Ronald Reagan Foundation said in a statement posted to X the ad used “selective audio” and “misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address.” The foundation also said the government of Ontario didn’t seek permission to use snippets from Reagan’s address, and said it is “reviewing its legal options in this matter.”
Mr. Trump pointed to the Ronald Reagan Foundation’s statement in his Truth Social post, calling Ontario’s ad “FAKE” and claiming it “only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court” — referring to a pending case on the legality of Mr. Trump’s tariff strategy.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
