US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on Canadian goods after Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
Trump denounced the ad as a “fraud” and accused Canadian officials of refusing to pull 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.
Diplomatic fallout deepens amid tense trade relations
Trump’s decision came two days after he withdrew from trade talks with Canada, worsening tensions between the two countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday he would suspend the province’s anti-tariff campaign in the US after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume.”
However, Ford confirmed that the advertisement would continue airing over the weekend during the World Series, where the Toronto Blue Jays are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Canada remains the only G7 nation without a fresh trade deal with the US since Trump began raising tariffs on major trading partners. The US currently applies a 35% levy on Canadian goods, though many products are exempt under a free trade agreement. Some sectors face even steeper rates, including 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.
While traveling to Asia, Trump said he planned to add another ten percentage points to those tariffs. About three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the US, with Ontario serving as the center of the country’s automobile industry.
Reagan quote triggers backlash from Washington
Ontario’s government funded the controversial advert, which featured clips from Reagan’s 1987 radio address about foreign trade. The video quoted Reagan saying tariffs “hurt every American.”
The Ronald Reagan Foundation, which oversees the former president’s legacy, accused Ontario of using “selective” editing that misrepresented his words. The foundation also said Ontario did not request permission to use Reagan’s remarks.
In a follow-up post, Trump said the advert should have been pulled immediately. “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 vowed to broadcast the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district in the US.
Trump refuses meeting with Canadian prime minister
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 decide whether his tariff policy is constitutional. The case will be heard next month, and Trump called it “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER.”
Humor and trade collide during World Series
Ontario has used the World Series stage to mock Trump’s tariffs in a lighter way. In a 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 replied by asking Ford to resume selling American-made alcohol in Ontario’s liquor stores. He pledged to send “California’s championship-worthy wine” if the Blue Jays win.
Both leaders ended their exchange with a cheerful toast: “Here’s to a great World Series, and a tariff-free friendship between Ontario and California.”
