U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an increase in tariffs on goods imported from Canada after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump called the advert a fraud and criticized Canadian officials for not removing it ahead of 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.
Following Trump's withdrawal from trade talks with Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated he would pause the province's anti-tariff advertisement campaign in the U.S. after discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Ontario's advertising campaign aimed to highlight the negative impact of tariffs, featuring Reagan’s past statements claiming that tariffs hurt Americans.
The U.S. has already placed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods, with sector-specific tariffs impacting metals and automobiles significantly. This recent escalation will add further strain to the U.S.-Canada trade relationship, as approximately three-quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the U.S., particularly from Ontario, which houses major automobile manufacturing.
The advertisement sparked criticism from the Ronald Reagan Foundation, which accused Ontario's government of using selective audio and video to misrepresent Reagan's stance on tariffs.
Trump, while in transit to Asia, insisted that the advertisement should have been taken down sooner, accusing Canada of attempting to interfere with crucial U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning the legality of his tariffs.
As trade tensions mount, both Trump and Carney are expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, although Trump indicated he has no plans to meet with his Canadian counterpart.
