President Donald Trump announced late Thursday that he is ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada, citing a Canadian television advertisement opposing US tariffs that he said distorted the facts and represented “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing US court decisions.
The post on Trump's social media site came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,” Trump wrote. “The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said in a post on X that the ad, produced by the Ontario government “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford promoted the disputed ad last week in a post on X, writing, “It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.” Ford added, “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.”
The rupture comes amid mounting tensions between the two trading partners. Canada has been vocal in its opposition to U.S. tariffs, and the dispute over the television ads appears to have triggered a sharp escalation in Washington’s position.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)
