Things have been frosty between the U.S. since President Donald Trump launched his tariff plans back in April.
They didn’t get any warmer Thursday, when Trump announced he was terminating trade talks with Canada because of a Canadian political ad featuring Ronald Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster.
Trump, who has imposed import tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and autos, called the video ad fraudulent in a Truth Social post Thursday.
“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Reuters reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had removed most of Canada’s tariffs on U.S. imports imposed by his predecessor, and the two sides have been in talks for weeks on a deal for the steel and aluminum sectors.
On Friday, Trump accused Canada of trying to influence the U.S. Supreme Court as it prepares to hear arguments next month over the legality of Trump’s sweeping global tariffs.
In an early morning Truth Social post he also said former President Reagan embraced tariffs, but Reagan was a free market and free trade proponent.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has often urged Carney to be tougher with Trump, said this week that the ad from his provincial government, more than a week old, had caught the Republican president’s attention, according to Reuters.
In the ad, Reagan can be heard criticizing tariffs on foreign goods while saying they cause job losses and trade wars.
“I heard that the president heard our ad. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy,” Ford said on Tuesday, according to the Reuters report.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation told Reuters the ad used “selective audio and video”, and that it was examining legal options.
