Donald Trump ends trade talks with Canada over ‘fake’ Reagan ad on tariffs

US President Donald Trump on Thursday, 23 October, announced that he was terminating all trade negotiations with Canada, accusing the country of using a “fraudulent” advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan to criticise US tariffs.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said the advert that was reportedly aired on Canadian television and amounted to “egregious behaviour” intended to influence court rulings in the United States.

Declaring tariffs as crucial to America’s “national security and economy,” Trump added: “Based on their egregious behaviour, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated.”

The comments followed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent remarks that his government was working to diversify exports and double trade with countries beyond the United States, citing uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff policies.

Earlier this week, Canada’s Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc had said discussions with the US were “making progress” but noted that several key issues were yet to be settled.

The controversy erupted after the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said an advert produced by the Government of Ontario had “misrepresented” Reagan’s 1987 Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the foundation said Ontario did not obtain permission to use or edit the remarks and that it was “reviewing legal options” over the unauthorised use. It also invited the public to view the unaltered version of Reagan’s speech.

The diplomatic row comes as Washington, Ottawa, and Mexico City prepare for a review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade pact originally negotiated during Trump’s first term but which he has since criticised.

More than three-quarters of Canada’s exports are destined for the United States, with bilateral trade between the two countries valued at roughly C$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) each day.

With agency inputs