President Trump halts trade talks with Canada, accusing Ottawa of using a fake Reagan clip to undermine his global tariff policy ahead of a Supreme Court showdown.
A diplomatic firestorm erupted Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump accused Canada of “cheating,” “fraud,” and “attempting to manipulate” the U.S. Supreme Court—after a political ad from Ontario misused the voice of Ronald Reagan to attack Trump’s pro-tariff policy.
In a furious post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
“Canada cheated and got caught!!! They fraudulently took a big ad claiming Ronald Reagan didn’t like tariffs—when in fact, he loved tariffs for our country and national security!”
The president charged that the doctored ad was a foreign attempt to interfere in a key Supreme Court case scheduled for November 5, which will determine the legality of Trump’s sweeping global tariff regime.
“They’re trying to illegally influence the U.S. Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in our nation’s history,” Trump wrote, calling the ad “a disgraceful act of deception.”
The ad in question, reportedly commissioned by the Government of Ontario, spliced together lines from Reagan’s 1987 radio address to create the false impression that the late Republican president opposed tariffs.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation swiftly condemned the move, issuing a rare statement blasting Ontario’s government for “misrepresenting Reagan’s remarks” and failing to request permission for their use.
“The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address… and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use or edit the remarks,” the foundation said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose government authorized the ad, acknowledged the uproar with a grin:
“I heard the President heard our ad. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy.”
Not happy would be an understatement.
Trump fired back within hours, announcing the immediate termination of all U.S.-Canada trade negotiations, vowing that “fraudulent actors” would not be allowed to “tamper with American justice.”
“Based on their egregious behaviour, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
The clash is the latest in a series of escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has reinstated heavy tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, arguing they are essential for U.S. national security and manufacturing revival.
Canada retaliated with its own tariffs, but Trump has continued to double down, calling tariffs “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”
The latest controversy underscores a deeper shift in Trump’s second term: a zero-tolerance stance toward foreign governments meddling in U.S. policy debates—even longtime allies.
By invoking Reagan’s image to undercut American economic sovereignty, Ottawa may have crossed a red line that Trump has no intention of ignoring.
As the November Supreme Court hearing approaches, one thing is clear: the new trade war is not just about tariffs—it’s about truth, sovereignty, and the battle for economic power in North America.
