A 38-year-old quote from Ronald Reagan , “trade barriers hurt every American worker,” is at the center of a new international trade crisis. President Donald Trump has “terminated” all talks with Canada after an ad used the clip.
The ad, from the hard-hit province of Ontario, used the 1987 audio to protest 35% US tariffs. Trump immediately denounced the ad as “fake” and “fraudulent.”
He accused Canada of “egregious behavior” and interference. “Canada cheated and got caught,” Trump posted on truth social, claiming the ad was meant to influence the US supreme court.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation also condemned the ad. It said the “selective audio” “misrepresents” the full speech, where Reagan also defended his own tariffs on Japan, and that it is “reviewing its legal options.”
The suspension of talks, confirmed by secretary of state Marco Rubio, jeopardizes a c$3.6 billion daily trade relationship and escalates the ongoing trade war.