Trump Halts Trade Talks with Canada Over Controversial Reagan Advertisement

Tue Oct 28 2025 09:00:48 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The recent advertisement featuring a speech by former President Ronald Reagan has drawn ire from President Trump, leading to the immediate cessation of US-Canada trade negotiations.

US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of all trade negotiations with Canada following the release of an advertisement by Ontario that showcases excerpts from Ronald Reagan's 1987 speech about tariffs. Trump criticized the ad as misleading, while the Reagan Foundation argued it misrepresents Reagan's views. The ad features Reagan's statements on trade and tariffs but alters their sequence, which sparked Trump's outrage and prompted him to declare the trade talks 'terminated.'

Trump Halts Trade Talks with Canada Over Controversial Reagan Advertisement

In a surprising move, US President Donald Trump has announced that he will halt all trade negotiations with Canada in response to a new advertisement featuring excerpts from Ronald Reagan's infamous 1987 address on tariffs. Released by the Ontario government, the ad showcases Reagan warning that tariffs could 'hurt every American'—a message that Trump claims is misleading.

The ad, which lasts just one minute, condenses several lines from a five-minute speech given by Reagan but sequences them differently. Despite Reagan's authentic words remaining untouched, critics argue that the ad distorts the original context by altering the order of Reagan's statements. Trump labeled the advertisement as 'FAKE,' echoing sentiments from the Reagan Foundation which asserted that it misrepresents the former president's views on trade.

Trump's abrupt termination of the talks signals a broader tension in US-Canada relations, with potential implications for economic cooperation moving forward. Analysts suggest that the fallout from this PR debacle could reshape negotiations in the near future as both sides reassess their positions on trade policies.

The controversial ad features Reagan discussing the impact of tariffs on American jobs