President Trump on Saturday slapped Canada with a 10 percent tariff on top of its current rate after an advertisement lobbying against tariffs aired during the World Series.
The Canadian ad, which has angered the president, features different parts of speech former President Ronald Reagan gave in 1987 about “free and fair trade” when announcing his decision to impose tariffs on Japan. Critics have said the pulled sections of Reagan’s remarks are reordered in the ad, which was organized by the Ontario government and aired during the first game of the World Series Friday night between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Ronald Reagan LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy, but Canada said he didn’t! Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” the president wrote in a Saturday statement on Truth Social.
“Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
Steel and aluminum products imported from Canada already face a 50 percent tariff. Other items face a 35 percent tariff, though goods that are covered under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement are exempt.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment regarding how the additional 10 percent tariff will be implemented.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday that after a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the ad will be pulled on Monday to allow trade talks to resume, but noted it would air during the first two World Series games this weekend.
“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,” Reagan says in the advertisement’s opening lines.
“That over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer,” Reagan says next in the ad. But in his actual speech, Reagan makes this statement before the first lines used in the advertisement.
Ford has repeatedly lobbied against tariffs on Canada and threatened to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. earlier this year in an effort to combat the Trump administration’s heightened rates.
“Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together,” Ford wrote on X Friday morning. He linked to a YouTube video of Reagan’s complete speech in his post.
“God bless Canada and God bless the United States,” he continued.
Still, Trump suggested the ad featuring Reagan was being used to influence the Supreme Court’s ruling on the president’s sweeping use of tariffs.
“The sole purpose of this FRAUD was Canada’s hope that the United States Supreme Court will come to their ‘rescue’ on Tariffs that they have used for years to hurt the United States,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.
“Now the United States is able to defend itself against high and overbearing Canadian Tariffs (and those from the rest of the World as well!),” he added.
The president has signaled his intent to attend the Supreme Court’s oral arguments regarding tariffs, citing the large impact the high court’s ruling is likely to have on his foreign policy measures.