Trump Ends Trade Talks With Canada

US President Donald Trump has announced the suspension of all trade negotiations with Canada following the release of a television advertisement opposing US tariffs. The ad, launched last week by the government of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, features a clip from a 1987 speech by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In the address, Reagan criticized tariffs, warning they “hurt every American worker and consumer” and “trigger fierce trade wars.”

According to CNN, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said the clip was used without permission and “misrepresents” Reagan’s original remarks. By Thursday, Trump voiced his objections on Truth Social, writing, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs.” He defended his trade policy, adding that tariffs are vital to the U.S. economy.

The one-minute commercial combines Reagan’s voiceover with visuals of the New York Stock Exchange and cranes bearing U.S. and Canadian flags. While the ad uses excerpts from Reagan’s original five-minute address, it rearranges the order of his comments without altering his words. Reagan’s 1987 speech, titled “Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade,” focused on Japanese imports that faced U.S. tariffs at the time. He explained that the move was a “special case,” noting his general reluctance to impose trade barriers.

The ad aired across major U.S. television networks as part of a $75 million campaign. Ontario, home to Canada’s largest economy, has been hit hardest by the new U.S. tariffs — including a 35% levy on several Canadian goods and additional duties targeting the auto and steel industries.