Donald Trump imposed an extra 10% tariff on Canadian imports, accusing Ottawa of using a fake Reagan speech in an anti-tariff ad. The Reagan Foundation confirmed the ad was edited without consent. Canada says it remains open to talks despite rising trade tensions.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced an additional 10% tariff on imports from Canada, further escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. The new tariff will be added to the existing duties already applied to Canadian goods. Trumpโs decision came just days after he ended trade talks with Canada, accusing the government of misusing former US President Ronald Reaganโs speech in an anti-tariff advertisement.
Trump accuses Canada of โfraudulentโ Reagan adย
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Canada had โmisrepresented the factsโ through a misleading campaign. โBecause 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,โ he wrote.
Trump claimed Ottawa was โcaught red-handedโ in releasing a โfraudulent advertisementโ that distorted Reaganโs words on tariffs. He cited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, which confirmed that parts of the former presidentโs 1987 speech were edited without permission. According to the Foundation, the ad took Reaganโs remarks out of context and misused his message on trade. The organization said it was โreviewing its legal optionsโ regarding the ad.
Canada open to talksย
Despite Trumpโs move, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country remained open to restarting trade talks with the US. This latest tariff comes after Trump had earlier imposed 25% duties on Canadian exports and 10% on energy products. Canada retaliated with $30 billion in counter-tariffs on American goods such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, and apparel.
Additionally, Ottawa slapped 25% tariffs on US steel, aluminium, tools, and electronic equipment following earlier disputes.
The controversial Reagan advertisement
The controversy began with an ad aired in Ontario that used excerpts from Ronald Reaganโs 1987 radio address on tariffs. The clip featured Reagan warning that high tariffs could trigger trade wars, leading to job losses and business closures.The one-minute commercial aired on Newsmax and Bloomberg, aiming to criticize Trumpโs tariff policies. The White House, however, called the ad deceptive and politically motivated.ย