The Ontario government’s anti-tariff ad featuring U.S. President Ronald Reagan needs to be removed “immediately,” he said.
Published October 25, 2025
President Donald Trump announced a 10% tariff on Canada as he continues to criticize Canada’s northern neighbor over a controversial anti-tariff ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
Trump said in a social media post Saturday that the ad “should have been removed immediately, but (Canada) allowed it to run last night during the World Series, knowing it was fraudulent.”
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“Due to their gross factual errors and hostile actions, I am increasing tariffs on Canada by 10% above what they currently pay,” he said.
The ad, produced by the Canadian province of Ontario, features a speech by President Ronald Reagan from the 1980s in which the former Republican leader warned about the impact high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the U.S. economy.
Al Jazeera reviewed the original speech and found it contained all the quotes used in the Ontario commercial. However, the order seemed to be different.
The U.S. government this week suspended trade talks with Ottawa over the ad, accusing the Ontario government of misrepresenting President Reagan’s position and trying to influence an impending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Trump’s tariff policies.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Friday that, after consulting with Canadian Premier Mark Carney, Ontario will “pause advertising campaigns in the United States starting Monday to allow us to resume trade negotiations.”
“Our intention has always been to start a conversation about the kind of economy Americans want to build and the impact tariffs will have on workers and businesses. We reached the highest levels of U.S. audiences and achieved our goals,” Ford wrote in X.
“We have directed our team to keep our message in front of the American people throughout the weekend so we can air commercials during the first two games of the World Series.”
The Canadian government did not immediately comment on President Trump’s announcement of additional tariffs on Saturday.
It is unclear whether the ads will air again as scheduled during Game 2 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. local time Saturday (midnight Japan time) in Toronto.
Since taking office in January, President Trump has announced wide-ranging tariffs against several countries, including Canada, straining relations with the United States, a longtime ally.
In response to President Trump’s trade policies, Carney said this week that the administration aims to double exports outside the United States over the next 10 years. Currently, more than three-quarters of Canada’s exports go to the United States.
