Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump slammed Canada for playing “dirty” Friday as a row over an advertisement featuring former leader Ronald Reagan prompted Trump to scrap trade talks. The Canadian province of Ontario announced it would pull the offending anti-tariff ad on Monday to allow negotiations to restart, after Trump alleged that the ad misrepresented the views of fellow Republican Reagan.
However, Trump showed no sign of backing down, stating that Ontario should not have allowed the ad to air during the first two games of baseball’s World Series this weekend. Adding extra spice to the row, the World Series features a Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, facing a US team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays thrashed the Dodgers 11-4 in the first game on Friday.
“Canada got caught cheating on a commercial, can you believe it?” Trump told reporters before heading on a trip to 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,” Trump added. After a reporter mentioned the ad would be pulled on Monday, Trump replied: “That’s dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can.”
Trump announced on his Truth Social network on Thursday that he had “terminated” all negotiations with Canada over what he called the “fake” ad campaign. Less than 24 hours later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated he was suspending the ads after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the escalating row with Washington. “In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its US advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume,” Ford posted on X.
The Canadian ad used quotes from a radio address on trade that Reagan delivered in 1987, in which he warned against the ramifications that high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the US economy. It cited Reagan as stating that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website. The Ronald Reagan Foundation commented on X on Thursday that the Ontario government had used “selective audio and video” and that it was reviewing its legal options.
Trump described the ad on Friday night as a “crooked ad,” adding that “they know Ronald Reagan loved tariffs.” Both Trump and Carney are expected to attend a dinner on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in South Korea on Wednesday, but Trump indicated he had no plans to meet Carney.
The latest twist in relations between the United States and Canada emerged just over two weeks after Carney visited Trump at the White House to discuss a relaxation of stiff US tariffs. On Friday, Carney sought to ease tensions, stating that Canada was ready to resume “progress” on trade talks “when the Americans are ready.” He emphasized that Canada has “to focus on what we can control, and realize what we cannot control” as he headed to Asia.
Trump’s global sectoral tariffs—particularly on steel, aluminum, and autos—have significantly impacted Canada, leading to job losses and business squeezes. For now, the United States and Canada adhere to an existing North American trade deal called the USMCA, which ensures that roughly 85 percent of cross-border trade in both directions remains tariff-free. However, in a speech on Wednesday, Carney noted that the United States has raised “its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression.” “Our economic strategy needs to change dramatically,” Carney added, stating that the process “will take some sacrifices and some time.”
© 2024 AFP
