US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that he was increasing tariffs on Canada by an additional 10% “above what they’re paying now”, in response to an advertisement aired by Canada’s Ontario province during the World Series broadcast.
Trump, who called the ad misleading, had ended trade talks with Ottawa on Thursday, a day before escalating the tariff issue.
Ad Featuring Reagan Sparks Fresh Trade Row
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referenced the Ontario government’s ad, which features a video of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs can lead to trade wars and economic disaster. The ad had been running for several days before Trump first reacted to it on Thursday night.
“Their advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump wrote.
“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 added.
The ad aired during Game 1 of Major League Baseball’s World Series, where the Toronto Blue Jays are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that, following talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario would pause the U.S. ad campaign on Monday to allow trade discussions to resume.
Unclear Which Goods Are Affected
It remains unclear what goods would be impacted by the new tariffs. Most Canadian exports to the U.S. are exempt under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), signed during Trump’s first term.
In August, the Trump administration imposed a 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by USMCA, while Canada’s steel and aluminium industries have already been hit by 50% tariffs this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Carney said Friday that Ottawa was ready to resume trade talks with Washington. Both leaders are attending the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, but Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he has no plans to meet with Carney during the trip.
The U.S. Commerce Department, the White House, and the Canadian prime minister’s office have not yet commented on Trump’s announcement.
Reagan’s Remarks Used Selectively in Ad
The Ontario government’s ad uses five sentences from a five-minute address by Reagan, spliced together out of sequence. While Reagan criticised tariffs in the video, he had also noted that tariffs imposed on Japan by his administration were a “sadly unavoidable exception” to his broader belief in free trade.
Trump’s advisers, including Kevin Hassett, have said the President has grown increasingly frustrated with Canada, with recent trade talks not progressing well.
