Update: 24/10/2025 at 2:34 p.m. ET — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will stop airing anti-tariff in the U.S. after it upset U.S. President Donald Trump and led him to terminate trade talks with Canada.
On X (Twitter), Ford noted that his goal behind the ad, which featured former U.S. President Ronald Reagan condemning tariffs, was meant to “initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.” He says he’s “achieved” that goal and, after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, has decided to “pause” the ad starting Monday, October 27 “so that trade talks can resume.” However, he says it will remain on the air in the U.S. during the first two MLB World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.
Original story below:
Donald Trump is at it again.
Late Thursday night, the U.S. president had a huge temper tantrum on social media over an anti-tariff ad that the Ontario government has been running in America. In what’s totally not an overreaction whatsoever, Trump responded by taking to his Truth Social platform to say “all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated.”
If Joffrey Baratheon grew up to be an American president, this is pretty much what it would look like.
[image or embed]
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) October 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM
The ad, which began airing last week in the U.S. as part of Ontario’s $75 million anti-tariff campaign in the country, features comments made by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in April 1987 about the importance of “rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition,” noting that heavy duties can lead to domestic job loss and hurt international relations.
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.
Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.
Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025
Trump, who has been nonsensically hitting Canada and the rest of the world with ill-advised tariffs, naturally responded with the maturity of a five-year-old. On his Truth Social platform, Trump said “tariffs are very important to the national security, and economy, of the U.S.A.” and slammed Canada for “egregious behaviour.”
Trump claimed that the ad was “fraudulent” due to a statement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in which the group argued that Ontario’s ad “misrepresents” the former president’s comments and that the provincial government “did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.” The Reagan Foundation said it’s now “reviewing legal options” accordingly.
Listen to President Reagan’s unedited remarks here: https://t.co/1gQUcbR4eZ pic.twitter.com/iqmjSuypp0
— Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute (@RonaldReagan) October 24, 2025
That said, the organization didn’t clarify what, exactly, is misrepresented in the ad. After all, the one-minute ad uses actual footage from Reagan’s 1987 radio address over trade talks with Japan. The video is obviously edited, given that Reagan’s original full speech was five minutes long and did include some criticism of Japan that isn’t featured in the Ontario ad, including Reagan noting that he had placed higher tariffs on Japanese goods.
That said, he mentioned this was only in response to Japan “engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement” with the U.S. and that he was “loath” to enact such trade barriers, explaining why he views these kinds of actions as damaging, just as he does in the Ontario ad. Despite all of that, Trump incorrectly stated on Truth Social that Reagan “loved tariffs for our country and its national security.”
It remains to be seen what will come out of this latest development in Trump’s never-ending trade wars with Canada. Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney admitted that a broader trade deal with the U.S. won’t be coming anytime soon, and that was even before Trump’s latest meltdown. And today, Carney, who’s in Asia for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in South Korea, told reporters that “we stand ready” to resume talks with the U.S. However, he didn’t specifically address the Ontario government’s ad or whether any federal action will be taken over it.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, responded to Trump’s furor by taking to social media to post Reagan’s full 1987 address. “Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together,” said Ford.
Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together.
God bless Canada and God bless the United States.https://t.co/n1Nj6ofNZU
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 24, 2025
Image credit: Shutterstock
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