United States President, Donald Trump, has accused Canada of acting “dirty” in the midst of a growing diplomatic row over a controversial advertisement featuring former American President Ronald Reagan, a dispute that has led Trump to suspend ongoing trade discussions between the two nations.
The commercial, produced by the Canadian province of Ontario, drew Trump’s ire for allegedly distorting Reagan’s views on tariffs.
Following the backlash, Ontario officials announced plans to withdraw the ad on Monday to pave the way for the resumption of talks.
Despite this move, Trump remained defiant, criticizing Ontario for allowing the ad to air during the opening games of the World Series, which features Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays crushed the Dodgers 11–4 in Friday’s opener.
“Canada got caught cheating on a commercial, can you believe it?” Trump told reporters before departing for Asia.
“And I heard they were pulling the ad — I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled it tonight,” he added.
When informed that the ad would be withdrawn on Monday, Trump replied, “That’s dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can.”
Trump announced on his Truth Social account Thursday that he had “terminated” all negotiations with Canada over what he described as a “fake” ad campaign.
However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded less than a day later, saying he had decided to pause the ads after consulting with Prime Minister Mark Carney about the escalating tensions with Washington.
“In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its US advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume,” Ford wrote on X.
‘Crooked ad’ controversy
The disputed advertisement featured excerpts from a 1987 radio address by Reagan, in which he warned about the dangers of imposing high tariffs on foreign goods.
It quoted Reagan saying that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” a statement verified by transcripts on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation criticized Ontario’s use of the footage, accusing the government of employing “selective audio and video” and revealed that it was exploring legal options.
In response, Trump blasted the commercial as a “crooked ad,” insisting that “they know Ronald Reagan loved tariffs.”
Trump and Carney are both expected to attend a dinner on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea on Wednesday, but Trump has made it clear he has no plans to meet with the Canadian leader.
This latest flare-up follows Carney’s visit to the White House two weeks earlier, where he sought a softening of U.S. tariffs that have heavily impacted Canadian industries, particularly steel, aluminium, and automotive manufacturing.
Seeking to ease tensions on Friday, Carney said Canada remained open to “progress” in trade discussions “when the Americans are ready.”
Canada, he added, must “focus on what we can control, and realise what we cannot control,” as he departed for Asia.
Currently, both nations continue to operate under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which keeps about 85% of bilateral trade tariff-free.
However, Carney recently warned that U.S. tariffs have surged “to levels last seen during the Great Depression,” urging a “dramatic” shift in Canada’s economic strategy, one he said would “take some sacrifices and some time.”
