Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared “mission accomplished” after his provincial government aired anti-tariff ads featuring Ronald Reagan upset U.S. President Donald Trump.
The ad spliced clips of the former president’s 1987 address in which he warns that tariffs “hurt every American.” In response, Trump branded the ad “crooked,” announced he was suspending trade talks with Canada, and then imposed a 10 percent additional tariff on the country after Ford delayed pulling the ad.
“We achieved our goal. As we say, ‘mission accomplished,’” Ford told reporters at the Ontario legislature Monday, Politico reported. “They’re talking about it in the U.S., and they weren’t talking about it before I put the ad on. I’m glad that Ronald Reagan was a free trader.”
Ford said Friday that he would pull the ad to allow trade talks to resume after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. After their discussion, the Ontario premier then said the ad would continue running through Monday, including during the first World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trump, in turn, groaned about Ford’s decision in a Truth Social post, decrying it a “hostile act.”
“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump said. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10 percent over and above what they are paying now.”
The U.S. president has also claimed that the ad could potentially hurt his Supreme Court case concerning the legality of his sweeping tariff plan. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation also denounced the ad, saying it “misrepresents” the original radio address.
It’s not immediately clear when the tariff hike would take effect or whether it would apply to all goods.
The U.S.’s northern neighbor already faced a barrage of tariffs, including 35 percent on many Canadian products and 50 percent on steel and aluminum.
“Ontario‘s ad was intended to initiate a conversation about the impact of tariffs on American workers. In seven days, it achieved 11.4 billion views, raising awareness of President Reagan’s warnings against protectionism,” Ford wrote on X Monday.
The feud comes just weeks after Carney and Trump exchanged flatteries in the White House, the world leaders’ relationship appears to have strained.
On Air Force One Monday, Trump said he didn’t want to meet with Carney “for a while” and noted he was “very happy” with the “current deal” with Canada. Carney said Monday he hadn’t heard from Trump since last week, emphasizing: “We’re ready to sit down when [the U.S.] is ready to do that.”
Ford, meanwhile, has been a thorn in Trump’s side when it comes to the U.S. president’s tariff policy. In March, after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Ford ordered the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to remove American alcohol from its shelves.
While Ontario is Canada’s most populous province, the boycott persisted across the nation. There was an 85 percent drop in liquor exports to Canada, dipping below $10 million, in the second quarter, an October report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. found.
Trump threatens to send National Guard into more cities during Asia tour
'We have to be good or ICE will get us': Takeaways from Chicago children caught in immigration raids
Federal Reserve to cut key rate Wednesday, may signal another cut to follow
Russian oil company Lukoil to sell international assets in response to Trump sanctions
Trump administration planning ICE shakeup after failing to meet 3,000 arrests: report
America First Trump tells US troops to buy Japanese-made Toyota cars
