Trump Says Canadian Ad Misstated Ronald Reagan’s Views on Tariffs: Unpacking the Facts, the Full Context, and the Broader Trade Drama
In the high-stakes world of international trade, where billions of dollars and millions of jobs hang in the balance, a single advertisement can ignite a firestorm. That's exactly what happened on October 23, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada. The culprit? A provocative TV spot funded by the provincial government of Ontario, featuring archival audio from former President Ronald Reagan lambasting tariffs as a recipe for economic disaster. Trump branded the ad "FAKE" and accused it of fraudulently twisting Reagan's legacy to undermine American interests. But was it really a misrepresentation, or just selective storytelling in the art of political persuasion? As the dust settles on this latest U.S.-Canada spat, let's dive deep into the facts, the historical nuances of Reagan's trade philosophy, and the ripple effects threatening North American economic ties.
The Spark: Ontario's $75 Million Ad Campaign Against U.S. Tariffs
The controversy erupted last week when Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz aimed squarely at American audiences. Priced at a staggering 75 million Canadian dollars (roughly US$54 million), the campaign was designed to run through January 2026 on major U.S. networks like Fox News, NBC, and even during high-profile events such as MLB's World Series. Its target: swaying public opinion—and perhaps even the U.S. Supreme Court—against President Trump's sweeping tariff proposals.
At the heart of the 60-second spot is Ronald Reagan's unmistakable baritone, drawn from a 1987 radio address. The ad weaves together clips of the Gipper warning that tariffs "hurt every American worker and consumer," spark "fierce trade wars," and ultimately lead to "markets shrink[ing] and collaps[ing]" with businesses shuttering and jobs vanishing. Overlaying these somber soundbites are visuals of shuttered factories, frustrated workers, and strained U.S.-Canada border crossings, culminating in a call for unity: "The way to prosperity is by working together."
Ford, a vocal critic of Trump's protectionist agenda, defended the ad vigorously upon its launch. "President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together," he posted on X (formerly Twitter), framing the spot as a patriotic nod to shared North American values. The timing couldn't have been more pointed. With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on November 5, 2025, regarding the legality of Trump's tariffs—challenged by a coalition of U.S. businesses and trading partners—the ad's message was a direct jab at the administration's economic playbook.
But Trump wasn't having it. Late on October 23, he fired off a blistering post on Truth Social: "The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED." He followed up the next morning with more fire: "CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY."
The fallout was swift. Ontario's ad was pulled from rotation starting Monday, October 27, after a phone call between Ford and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who prioritized resuming talks. Carney, fresh off a tense October 13 meeting with Trump in Egypt's Middle East Peace Summit, had already signaled Canada's intent to diversify exports away from the U.S., aiming to double non-U.S. trade volumes amid the tariff threats. Daily cross-border trade—valued at nearly US$2.7 billion—suddenly felt perilously fragile.
Trump's Tariff Obsession: From Campaign Rhetoric to Policy Hammer
To understand why a provincial ad could derail bilateral talks, one must grasp Trump's unyielding faith in tariffs as an economic panacea. Since his first term, Trump has wielded them like a blunt instrument, slapping duties on steel, aluminum, and a laundry list of imports from allies and adversaries alike. He renegotiated NAFTA into the USMCA in 2018 but has since soured on it, threatening 25% tariffs on Canadian autos and energy exports unless concessions are made on dairy quotas and border security.
Trump's rhetoric has only intensified in his second term. "Tariffs are the most beautiful word in the dictionary," he quipped earlier this year, crediting them with revitalizing U.S. manufacturing and funding border walls. Economists beg to differ: projections from the Peterson Institute for International Economics warn that full implementation could raise U.S. household costs by $1,700 annually, trigger retaliatory measures costing 1.3 million jobs, and shave 0.5% off GDP. Yet for Trump, tariffs aren't just policy—they're a symbol of America First defiance against "cheaters" like Canada, which he accuses of imposing up to 400% duties on U.S. dairy farmers.
This isn't Trump's first rodeo with Canadian trade drama. In 2018, he threatened tariffs on Canadian steel, only to back down after concessions. Now, with the USMCA review looming in 2026, the stakes are existential: Over 75% of Canadian exports flow south, supporting 2 million U.S. jobs in supply chains from Michigan auto plants to Texas energy grids. Carney's diversification push—eyeing Asia and Europe—signals a long-term hedge, but no one wants a full-blown trade war on the eve of holiday shopping seasons.
Reagan's Actual Words: A Nuanced Defense of Free Trade with Teeth
The ad's use of Reagan's voice wasn't fabricated—far from it. The clips hail from his April 25, 1987, "Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade," delivered from Camp David just days after imposing 100% tariffs on $300 million worth of Japanese electronics. In that five-minute broadcast, Reagan passionately championed free trade as the engine of "prosperity and economic development," while excoriating protectionism as a seductive but destructive trap.
Here's a side-by-side breakdown of the ad's key excerpts versus the full speech context, drawn from Reagan Library transcripts:
The ad rearranges these snippets for dramatic effect—omitting Reagan's explicit defense of his Japan action and his vow to veto overreaching protectionist bills in Congress. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute pounced, issuing a statement on X: "The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address... using selective audio and video" without permission. They're "reviewing legal options," but fact-checkers like those at the Associated Press and CNN note the words are verbatim—just decontextualized for persuasion.
Did Reagan "love" tariffs, as Trump claims? Hardly. The Gipper vetoed 11 protectionist measures during his tenure, viewing them as "necessary evils" for strategic enforcement, not blanket policy. He imposed about two dozen targeted duties—on Japanese semiconductors, European pasta subsidies, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles to counter dumping—but always framed them as temporary levers to open foreign markets. "Free trade is the path to strength, not surrender," as one Reagan-era advisor put it. Trump's broad-brush approach, by contrast, echoes the Smoot-Hawley hubris Reagan decried.
The Bigger Picture: Echoes of History and a Fractured GOP Legacy
This dust-up isn't just about one ad; it's a microcosm of clashing visions for American conservatism. Reagan's free-market gospel—low taxes, deregulation, open borders for goods—built the modern GOP. Trumpism flips the script: Tariffs as national security tools, trade deficits as existential threats. Polling from Pew Research shows a GOP rift: 62% of Republicans now favor protectionism, up from 41% in Reagan's era, fueled by Rust Belt anxieties over China and globalization.
On X, the debate rages. Conservative influencers like Ben Meiselas of MeidasTouch hailed the full 1987 speech as "far more supportive of free trade and against tariffs than the short clip," while Trump loyalists amplified the Foundation's critique, dubbing the ad "Canadian meddling." Canadian voices, from CBC anchors to everyday exporters, decry the escalation: "One ad, and poof—decades of partnership gone?" tweeted one Windsor factory owner.
Economically, the risks are stark. Canada's retaliation playbook from 2018—duties on U.S. whiskey, yogurt, and steel—could resurface, hitting red-state exporters hard. Carney's Asia pivot might accelerate, but at what cost to intertwined supply chains? And with Mexico watching warily, the USMCA's stability hangs by a thread.
Pathways Forward: From Stalemate to Stalemate-Breaking?
By Friday afternoon, October 24, glimmers of de-escalation emerged. Ford's ad pause and Carney's backchannel diplomacy signal Ottawa's willingness to negotiate—perhaps on dairy access or digital trade rules. Trump, ever the dealmaker, might leverage the uproar for concessions, as he did in 2018. But the Supreme Court case looms large: If justices uphold broad tariff authority, it could embolden Trump's agenda; a rebuke might force a rethink.
Ultimately, this Reagan-fueled feud reminds us that trade isn't zero-sum—it's symbiotic. As Reagan himself said in that 1987 address (omitted from the ad), "Protectionism is destructionism." Whether Trump's "beautiful" tariffs prove him right or Reagan's warnings prophetic, one thing's clear: In the theater of global economics, words from the past can still rewrite the future. North America's neighbors would do well to heed them—before the next ad, or tweet, pulls the plug.
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