THIS is the petty anti-Donald Trump ad campaign that has reignited a ferocious trade war between Canada and the US.
A raging Trump announced an immediate end to all trade negotiations with America’s neighbours over the advert which was highly critical of his tariffs.
The advert directly quoted former US President Ronald Reagan saying tariffs “hurt every American”.
Trump labelled Reagan’s words as “fake” as he hit out at Canada.
Taking to Truth Social, he said: “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.
“They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Courtand other courts.
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“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.”
Sponsored by the government of Canada’s province of Ontario and led by Premier Doug Fordthe adverts are part of a mega $53.5million campaign.
And despite Trump’s strong remarks, it actually does feature a real Reagan address.
The 60-second ad, played on mainstream TV channels in the US, takes part of his speech during a 1987 radio address as he explained why he was placing tariffs on Japanese electronics.
Premier Ford announced the launch of the campaign alongside the fiery statement: “Let’s take Ronald Reagan’s words and let’s blast it to the American people.
“We’re going to repeat that message to every Republican district there is right across the entire country.”
Reagan details how tariffs can appear to be a positive for the average American on the surface but in reality they are often punishing for all.
His words are played over the top of images of American families, farmers and businesspeople as he explains how their lives may be worse off due to the US tariffs in place.
“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,” Reagan says in the ad.
“And sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American, worker and consumer.”
Reagan goes on to explain that when one country is hit by tariffs the other often responds.
This cause the “triggering of fierce trade wars”.
He adds: “Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs.”
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute first highlighted an issue with the advert’s use of Reagan’s speech.
They declared that it takes the late president’s words out of context.
They said: “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”
They also noted that they are “reviewing its legal options in this matter”.
But Ford is adamant that the advert is “very factual” and isn’t an attempt to be nasty.
Ford has been one of Trump’s biggest critics in recent months ever since the US launched sweeping global tariffs.
Trump vs Canada explained
THE feud between Canada and the US is largely rooted in trade policies ever since Donald Trump returned to office in January.
Issues first arose in early 2025 when the US imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.
The biggest involved a 25 per cent tariff on most goods and a 10 per cent tariff on energy products.
Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products, leading to a trade war and a major disruption of both nation’s essential supply chains.
The worst hit sectors include steel, aluminium, cars, agriculture, and technology.
There was some heated back-and-forth between Canada and the US before the US’ sanctions were postponed for a short time.
Another issue is around the shared border and immigration.
Canada is now bolstering border security in anticipation of possible changes to US immigration and asylum policies.
Trump has also been insistent on making Canada the “51st state”.
He has long claimed that they would be better off under American rule despite fierce opposition from Canada’s top officials.
The Trump administration imposed a 35 per cent levy on many Canadian imports, as well as individual tariffs targeting industries like car and steel manufacturing.
Ottawa, the US’s largest client, responded with its own retaliatory tariffs.
An enraged Ford even hit back at Trump’s tariff threats by saying he was willing to cut off power supply to the US.
It came after weeks of Trump repeatedly stating his intention to bring Canada into the US as the “51st state”.
This testing relationship had been somewhat restored in recent weeks with many of the initial tariffs postponed so talks could go ahead.
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This has stemmed from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visiting Trump on multiple occasions to discuss diplomatic ties in person.
Neither Ford or Carney have responded to Trump’s trade negotiations axing.