
President Trump Ends Trade Talks With Canada Over Ad Campaign Featuring Reagan Tariff Warning
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is terminating trade negotiations with Canada, citing a controversial ad campaign that used remarks from former President Ronald Reagan warning about the dangers of tariffs.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of trying to influence a pending Supreme Court case related to his authority to impose tariffs on foreign nations.
“Tariffs are very important to the national security and economy of the U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote.
The ad campaign, launched by Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier this month, features a clip from Reagan’s 1987 address, where Reagan warned that high tariffs could spark global trade wars, harm consumers, and cost millions of jobs.
“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens,” Reagan says in the ad. “Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs.”
Trump previously announced a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods in August, with exemptions for items covered under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Despite close economic ties, Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States does not need Canadian goods and that Canada depends more on the U.S. for trade.
Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the White House to discuss trade with Trump. Following their meeting, Trump said there is still “great love between the two countries,” but emphasized that Americans want to produce more goods domestically.
“We are competing for the same business,” Trump added. “That’s the problem.”


