President Trump denounced a “false” ad by former US President Ronald Reagan, a hero of the Republican Party, who said tariffs would be a disaster.
Published October 31, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. and Canada will not resume trade talks, citing an Ontario political ad that used former President Ronald Reagan to say tariffs would be a disaster.
President Trump said Friday that the two countries have no intention of resuming trade talks, even if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologizes for the ad.
“I love him very much, but what they did was wrong,” he said. “He apologized for what he did in that commercial because it was a false commercial.”
Mr. Carney did not respond to requests for comment.
President Trump last week called off negotiations over an ad aired by the Canadian province of Ontario, adding that he would increase tariffs on Canada by an additional 10%.
An ad by the Ontario government featured Republican icon President Ronald Reagan saying that tariffs on foreign goods would lead to trade wars and job losses.
Reagan was known for supporting free markets and free trade.
President Trump denounced the ad, which ran on U.S. platforms, as “fake.” As Al Jazeera previously reported, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s team, which spearheaded the ad, appears to have spliced together parts of President Reagan’s speech to create the one-minute ad, which is all lines that President Reagan said in the speech.
Ford subsequently suspended advertising in order to move forward with trade negotiations between the two countries.
Mr. Carney also said Canada is open to negotiations.
Historically, the United States has been Canada’s largest trading partner, with Canada sending approximately 75 percent of its exports to its southern neighbor. That trade has been upended by President Trump’s tariffs, with Canada facing some of the highest tariffs.
