Trump Canada Tariffs: New Threat After Ad

A commercial continues to cause unrest between the USA and Canada: After the US President had already broken off trade negotiations, he now wants to raise tariffs. His reason: The clip was not immediately removed.

US President Donald Trump has intensified the trade dispute with Canada and announced that he would increase tariffs against the country by ten percent. Trump justified his actions on his Truth Social platform by saying that a Canadian advertising campaign against tariffs – which he considered misleading – was not immediately removed. Instead, it was shown the previous night during a US World Series baseball game, he wrote.

Trump had previously stopped trade negotiations with the neighboring country because of the advertising clip. In the spot, the voice of former US President Ronald Reagan, who was critical of tariffs, could be heard alongside images of US workers and families. On Friday, the Canadian province of Ontario suspended the broadcast of the anti-tariff advertising clip – but not with immediate effect. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Platform X that following a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario would suspend its advertising campaign starting Monday.

Ford: Clip should spark discussion about tariffs

Ford justified the break for the advertising clip by saying that the discussions could be resumed. Nothing seems to come of this at the moment. The intention of the clip was to spark a discussion about the impact tariffs have on workers and companies, Ford said. The goal was to reach the American audience at the highest level.

In his most recent post, Trump accused Canada of “serious misrepresentation” and “hostile action.” He also again suggested that Canada wanted to influence judges in the United States dealing with tariffs. Trump was referring to the highest court in the USA. The Supreme Court is currently dealing with Trump’s customs policy at the request of the US government. The US President is hoping for support from the judges after suffering defeats in lower courts.

Criticism also from the Ronald Reagan Foundation

The spot also drew criticism from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. The US organization that manages the estate of the Republican, who died in 2004, accused the province of selective use of audio and video material from Reagan’s April 1987 speech and of misinterpreting the address. The organization wrote in a statement that legal action is being considered.

Trump had imposed tariffs of 35 percent on many imports from Canada, whereupon the government in Ottawa imposed counter tariffs. Both sides had been negotiating a possible agreement for weeks.

A few weeks ago, Trump welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Carney to the White House – and had kind words for him. They said they wanted to reach agreements that were good for both countries. Trump also spoke of progress that had been made in recent months. On Friday, Trump’s economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that the president was frustrated by the slow negotiations.