It’s the video that caused a literal international incident.
President Donald Trump on Thursday night threw a fit over a new $75 million ad campaign launched by the Ontario government to push back against his tariffs on Canada.
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“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website in response to the ad.
The video, which is airing on major networks around the U.S., uses excerpts from a 1987 radio address by then-President Ronald Reagan speaking out against tariffs and warning of the harms they cause.
“Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs,” Reagan said.
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The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said on X that the ad uses “selective audio” and “misrepresents” what he said. It also hinted at legal action against Ontario.
In the full speech, Reagan in fact justifies tariffs he put in place on semiconductors from Japan. However, he also said he’s “loathe” to turn to tariffs and speaks out on behalf of free trade and against protectionism.
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Trump called the video “fake,” which it’s not, and claimed Canada was trying to “interfere” with the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments on Trump’s tariffs in November.
He wrote:
Donald Trump on Truth Social Donald Trump
The video includes a plug for a webpage set up by Ontario to highlight ways in which trade with Canada helps American workers ― and how Trump’s tariffs will have “harsh and immediate effects” including higher prices and loss of jobs.
“Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on X. “The way to prosperity is by working together.”
