Trump Suspended Trade Negotiations With Canada After The Release Of A Reagan Ad

A trade war may have just reignited — and this time, it didn’t start with steel, autos, or dairy. It started with Ronald Reagan.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump abruptly shut down trade negotiations with Canada, citing what he called a “fraudulent” ad campaign that used altered audio of the 40th president to criticize tariffs. The ad, reportedly funded by the Ontario government, took a speech Reagan gave in 1987 and spliced together lines that made it appear as if he opposed U.S. protectionist policy — a message that directly clashes with Trump’s current trade approach.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, accusing Canada of deliberately interfering in U.S. legal matters and attempting to influence pending decisions in the Supreme Court. He did not specify how the ad connects to the court, but his statement was blunt: “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

The move is already sending shockwaves through the U.S. trade and political worlds, especially as Trump’s second-term trade team was reportedly on the verge of securing new terms with Canada on key goods. That deal is now off the table.

According to Trump, the use of Reagan’s voice wasn’t just misleading — it was an attack. “They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” he said, hinting that there may be deeper political motives behind the ad placement, which reportedly cost $75 million.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation confirmed that the ad misrepresented Reagan’s original message. It said the Ontario government used selective editing from a radio address Reagan gave on April 25, 1987, about “Free and Fair Trade.” The foundation made it clear that the Canadian government did not ask for permission, nor was it granted.

In the ad, Reagan is heard warning about the dangers of protectionism. But the original speech also emphasized the need for fairness in trade — a principle Trump has long said his tariffs are designed to enforce. The suggestion that Reagan would stand against tariffs in 2025, particularly in the way they’re being used by the Trump administration for economic leverage and national security, has raised eyebrows and sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators.