President Donald Trump has accused Canada of trying to illegally influence the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the country cheated by misrepresenting former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's position on tariffs in a recent ad campaign.
This comes after he announced Thursday that he would end all trade negotiations with Canada, citing an Ontario ad using Reagan's 1987 speech to criticize tariffs.
In an emailed statement to Newsweek, a White House spokesperson said: "The Trump administration has repeatedly sought to eliminate Canada's long-standing and unfair trade barriers. These good faith efforts with Canadian officials have not led to any constructive progress. "
They added: "Ontario's taxpayer-funded ad campaign on U.S. television networks, which misleadingly edited President Reagan's 1987 radio speech on trade, is the latest example of how Canadian officials prefer to play games rather than engage with the administration." As President Trump made clear in Truth Social, further discussions are a wasted effort if Canada cannot be serious. "
Why it matters
The abrupt suspension of trade negotiations marks a significant escalation of tensions between the United States and Canada. Trump's imposition of tariffs on Canadian sectors such as steel and aluminum has already strained bilateral relations, while negotiations to renegotiate or abandon the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) now face increased uncertainty.
The controversy highlights the critical importance of communication, political publicity, and the interpretation of historic U.S. leadership in shaping international economic policy. The dispute could affect billions of dollars in cross-border trade and set a new precedent for handling disagreements over the use of public figures and historic addresses in political messages.
What you need to know
The ad campaign in question, funded by the Ontario government, aired on major U.S. television networks and used audio clips of Reagan's 1987 speech on the risks of high tariffs.
The ad warned that Trump's tariffs could hurt American jobs, using words from Reagan such as: "When someone says, 'Let's put tariffs on imports,' it seems like they're making a patriotic gesture by protecting American products and jobs." And sometimes, for a short while, it works, but only for a short time.
Although the ad directly quotes Reagan, media critics found that it spliced together and rearranged lines from the original speech, presenting them out of sequence and out of context. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said the ad misrepresents Reagan's position on free trade and is considering legal action.
At the same time, the Ontario government maintains that the excerpts used are in the public domain.
Trump responded to the announcement by ending trade negotiations between the United States and Canada and posting several statements on Truth Social, including one this morning that said: "CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big ad saying that Ronald Reagan didn't like tariffs, when in reality he liked tariffs for our country and its national security. Canada is attempting to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important decisions in our country's history.
What people say
Friday morning, President Donald Trump via Truth Social: "Canada has long cheated on tariffs, charging our farmers up to 400%. Now they and other countries can no longer take advantage of the United States. Thank you to the Ronald Reagan Foundation for exposing this FRAUD.
President Trump said Thursday evening regarding the end of tariff negotiations with Canada: "The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada fraudulently used a FALSE ad in which Ronald Reagan spoke negatively about tariffs. The advertisement was worth $75,000,000. their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT."
What happens next
The immediate future of trade between the United States and Canada is uncertain. Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, are expected to issue an official response.
Updated 10/24/25, 9:16 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comments.
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