What did Ronald Reagan say in the Canadian ad which made Trump end trade talks with neigbour?

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that he was terminating all trade negotiations with Canada for “their egregious behaviour”. He announced the decision on a fiery Truth Social post where he said, “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behaviour, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

The post came after an ad commissioned by the government of Ontario used a one-minute excerpt from an audio of Ronald Reagan’s presidential address to the nation made on April 15, 1987. The ad was launched on Newsmax and Bloomberg this week, The Daily Beast reported.

Trump called the ad fake and said that “They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.” He was referring to an upcoming court decision in November on whether Washington's tariffs on many countries were legal. The court's decision will be the first major test on Trump's economic policies. 

Trump also shared an official post by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation where they claimed that the video “misrepresents” the radio address and said that the Ontario government did not seek permission to use the audio.

They encouraged viewers to watch Reagan’s unedited video on their YouTube channel.

What was Reagan's audio excerpt in the ad about?

The ad includes a one minute excerpt from the 5 minute address. In it Reagan states “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works-but only for a short time.”

“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” The audio continues. “Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs... America’s jobs and growth are at stake.”

China’s embassy in Washington had also used the same Reagan clip to challenge the US’s global tariffs this year.

The plan for the ad was shared by the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, who had announced that the province will spend $75 million to run ads in the US slamming the impact of tariffs and featuring clips of Ronald Reagan and challenge the case against American tariffs on Canada.  

Ontario is the country’s most populous and largest regional economy. The privince has suffered the most after the US imposed the tarrifs.

On a post on X, Ford said, “The way to prosperity is by working together.” Earlier he also said that the ad was "not nasty but very factual" in regards to tariffs. He had also called on US lawmakers to put pressure on Trump.

Trump had imposed a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports, including steel, aluminium, auto, lumber, and copper. The exemptions were allowed for goods that fall under the free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.

Canadian prime Minister Mark Carney had been attempting to strike a deal with the US that would ease the double-digit tariffs.

When asked about the ad last week, he said, “The quote of former President Ronald Reagan was recognizing that ultimately somebody pays the tariff — and it’s the consumer,”  “The company passes it on, the price goes up eventually, and you pay the cost of the tariff.”

He also said, “I don’t agree with their policy, but I recognize that it is their policy, and I don’t expect it to change.”

Carney and Ford have not yet commented on Trump's Truth Social announcement.

The Candian PM and Trump bopth will be at the ASEAN and APEC meet in Malaysia and South Korea this week.

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