US President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on Canadian goods after Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former US President Ronald Reagan.
Trump denounced the advert as a “fraud” and accused Canadian officials of refusing to remove 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.
Trade talks collapse amid rising tension
Trump’s decision came two days after he withdrew from trade talks with Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he would suspend the province’s anti-tariff campaign in the US after talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume.”
Ford confirmed, however, that the advert would still air during the World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Canada remains the only G7 nation without a trade agreement with the US since Trump began imposing steep tariffs on allies. The US currently applies a 35% tariff on Canadian goods, though many products are exempt under a free trade deal. Sector-specific levies add 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.
While traveling to Asia, Trump said he would raise those tariffs by another ten percentage points. Roughly three-quarters of Canada’s exports go to the US, and Ontario produces most of the country’s automobiles.
Reagan quote ignites diplomatic backlash
Ontario’s government sponsored the advert, which featured a line from Reagan’s 1987 radio address on foreign trade. The clip quoted the late president saying tariffs “hurt every American.”
The Ronald Reagan Foundation, which protects Reagan’s legacy, criticized the advert for “selective editing” and said it distorted his message. It also said Ontario did not seek permission to use the material.
In another post, Trump claimed the advert should have been pulled sooner. “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 pledged to broadcast the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district across the United States.
Trump refuses meeting at Asian summit
Both Trump and Carney are attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had no “intention” of meeting his Canadian counterpart during the trip.
In his online post, Trump also accused Canada of attempting to sway a pending US Supreme Court case that could determine whether his tariff policy is constitutional. The court will hear the case next month, which Trump described as “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER.”
World Series becomes stage for tariff banter
Ontario has used the World Series spotlight to criticize Trump’s tariffs in a playful tone. In a lighthearted video released on Friday, Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom joked about the Blue Jays-Dodgers matchup.
They placed friendly bets, with Ford promising 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 responded by asking Ford to allow American-made alcohol back into Ontario’s liquor stores. He promised 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.”
