President Donald Trump abruptly halted trade talks with Canada after an Ontario ad used audio from Ronald Reagan, sparking accusations that Ottawa tried to influence a pending U.S. Supreme Court case over tariffs. The move centers on a $75 million anti-tariff ad, a dispute over whether Reagan’s words were edited, and a formal objection from the Reagan Foundation that has prompted legal posturing. This article lays out the timeline, key quotes, how the ad was produced, and the fallout between Washington and Ontario.
Late Thursday President Trump announced he was terminating all trade negotiations with Canada, saying the province’s advertising crossed a line. The change in posture came after what he called “egregious behavior” by a provincial government that ran television ads criticizing U.S. tariffs. That ad, aimed at U.S. audiences, became the spark for a diplomatic flare-up over free trade and influence.
Trump accused the ad of using a manipulated Ronald Reagan clip to influence American courts, writing: “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” wrote Trump. “The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments soon on the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the timing added fuel to the controversy. Trump told reporters he had seen the ad earlier in the week and noted its presence on television, that it was being purchased and aired. The president framed the ad as an attempt to sway a major judicial decision at a pivotal moment.
Ontario’s government announced a $75 million campaign to run an anti-tariff spot across major U.S. networks and said the goal was to argue against American tariffs. Ontario Premier Doug Ford pushed the ad as a commonsense, pro-growth message aimed at Republicans and U.S. voters who value conservative voices. Ford on Oct. 16, “It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched. Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.”
The ad uses audio from Ronald Reagan’s April 25, 1987 radio address about protectionism, but the Reagan Foundation says the commercial misrepresents that address and that permission was not sought. Ford’s office insisted the excerpt is public domain and framed the spot as factual and fair. The foundation replied that it was “reviewing its legal options in this matter” and pointed to the full, unedited speech for context.
The provincial ad was billed as a straightforward appeal against tariffs, and Ford told a Toronto audience he hoped Reagan’s voice would land with Republicans who value free trade. Yale research cited by Ford suggested tariffs and retaliation were costing American families substantially, a claim the ad leaned on to make its point. Ford said, “That ad — it’s not a nasty ad. It’s actually just very factual,” and argued the clip would resonate politically.
The Reagan clip in the commercial was not presented in its original sequence, according to a review of the speech, and several edits appear intended to sharpen the ad’s anti-tariff argument. Multiple full sentences were removed and portions of the address were rearranged, moving lines from earlier or later in the speech to create a tidy, 60-second narrative. At least one line was changed in placement and another word swap appears to have adjusted meaning subtly.
- multiple sentences were cut;
- one sentence was lifted from its original spot at the outset of the speech and inserted midway through the ad with a “that” apparently swapped out for a “but”;
- another portion, which originally appeared just before the opening remarks heard in the speech, now appears toward the end of the voice-over; and
- the second-last last line of the original speech — “America’s jobs and growth are at stake” — has been moved to serve as a conclusion for the ad.
Below is the exact transcript of the Reagan voice-over used in the ad. The ellipses mark where material was removed, and text moved from elsewhere in the speech is shown in bold to reflect how the ad rearranged the original remarks:
https://x.com/fordnation/status/1978779503213052337
When someone says, “Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,” it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works — but only for a short time. [But] over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. … High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. … Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs. Throughout the world, there’s a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition. America’s jobs and growth are at stake.
Trump doubled down on his criticism the following morning with blunt language that rallied a protective, national-security argument for tariffs. “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” he wrote, and later: “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”
“Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country,” Trump continued, framing the ad as a direct attempt to sway legal outcomes. He also accused Canada of long-standing tariff abuses and described tariffs as a necessary tool to prevent exploitation of American industries. The dispute has hardened positions and ended productive trade talks at a time when cooperation on steel, aluminum, and energy had been on the table.
The dispute remains active. The Reagan Foundation has raised formal objections, Ontario has stood by its campaign, and the White House has pulled back from negotiation until the matter is resolved. For now the diplomatic damage is real and trade momentum has stalled as both sides push their case to the public and the courts.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
