(Oct 25): Donald Trump lodged fresh complaints over Canada’s handling of an anti-tariff commercial and said he is “satisfied” with his current trade arrangement with the country, indicating that the Ontario government’s announcement it would stop running the advertisement had done little to placate the US president.
“I am satisfied with the deal we have. We have a deal right now that’s very good for us. Any deal that would have been made would have been better for them than the one they have right now,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked what Ottawa could do to get talks back on track.
Asked if he had any plans to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is slated to attend two summits in Asia that Trump is also participating in, the US president responded “I don’t have any intention of it, no.”
Shortly before departing, Trump called the commercial “dishonest” and panned the decision to keep airing it during US broadcasts of the World Series.
“I heard they were pulling the ad, I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “They could have pulled it tonight. Well, that’s dirty playing — but I can play dirtier than they can, you know? Really, very dishonest.”
The government-funded ad, which featured excerpts of late US President Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs, won’t appear after Friday and Saturday’s games, following Trump’s criticism of it, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a post on the social media network X.
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“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford wrote. “We have achieved our goal, having reached US audiences at the highest levels.”
The Conservative premier said that, after a conversation with Carney, he had decided to pause the ad starting from Monday “so that trade talks can resume”.
But Trump’s comments indicate he is not yet ready to move past the rift, which injected fresh uncertainty into the relationship between two economies that exchanged US$900 billion in goods and services last year and have closely interwoven supply chains for major industries.
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The 60-second television commercial, which played in some Republican-held regions of the US, prompted Trump to argue Reagan’s comments were fraudulently used and that he would halt trade talks because of it.
“Based on their egregious behaviour, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday evening.
He reiterated that criticism on Friday, saying Canada had “cheated on a commercial”.
The Canadian dollar sagged when that statement hit, but rebounded to trade around C$1.40 per US dollar as of 4.40pm New York time on Friday.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute had criticised Ontario for running the ad, saying the province didn’t seek permission to use the remarks, and that “selective audio and video” in the ad “misrepresents” Reagan’s full address.
Reagan’s original remarks in 1987 were a defence of free trade as an economic strategy — while also explaining to the US public why he had imposed tariffs as a last resort against Japan.
Ford initially appeared to stand by his decision to pursue the ad campaign as he posted a link to Reagan’s full speech. “Canada and the US are friends, neighbours and allies,” Ford said on X. “President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together.”
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He received support from some other Canadian leaders, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
“Ontario’s TV ads present Ronald Reagan’s views on tariffs accurately and powerfully,” Kinew said in a video. “And it’s clear that these ads are working. If you throw a rock at a lake and you don’t hear a splash, you have probably missed.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said: “Americans need to hear how tariffs raise prices” and added he’s making commercials to defend the province and country’s forestry workers, who now face American import taxes of about 45%. “Our wood faces higher US tariffs than Russia. Absurd. Truth will win!”
Ontario’s government previously said it would spend C$75 million (US$53 million) on a months-long campaign to show the ad on major US networks. Ford, who has been premier of Canada’s most populous province since 2018, has made numerous appearances on US television to appeal to citizens and policymakers for greater cooperation on trade between Canada and the US.
On Friday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first World Series game in Canada since 1993.
Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee
