Trump says he will end trade talks with Canada over a warning against tariffs.
US President Donald Trump announced Thursday his decision to cancel trade talks with Canada, leading to a new crisis in relations between the two neighboring countries and North American economic allies.
Trump said he suspended the negotiations in reaction to a statement released last week by the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario, which included an excerpt from a speech by former US President Ronald Reagan, in which he disapproved of tariffs on foreign goods.
In the 1987 speech, Reagan condemned tariffs for negatively impacting "all consumers and workers in the United States" and for "provoking intense trade wars."
US President Donald Trump interacts with the media during a meeting focused on crime cartels on October 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Following the release of the statement, the Ronald Reagan Foundation denied that the speech had been presented with inaccuracies, asserting that the Ontario government did not request authorization to use the footage.
On Thursday night, Trump used social media to express his displeasure with the ad.
"The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just declared that Canada has misused a FAKE ad featuring Ronald Reagan speaking unfavorably about taxes," he posted on Truth Social.
He claimed the statement was intended to "influence the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts" and defended the tariffs as critical to the U.S. economy and national security.
“Due to their disgusting behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE CANCELED,” he said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford first unveiled the ad online on October 16, commenting in a caption: “Using every resource at our disposal, we will not cease in our fight against U.S. tariffs on Canada. The path to prosperity means working together.”
A disclaimer located below the ad clarifies that it was not authorized or endorsed by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library or the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Along with its statement, the Ronald Reagan Foundation provided a link to the full, original version of Reagan’s speech, delivered years ago, where he further details his opposition to tariffs. “More than five million U.S. jobs are directly tied to exports, and many more to imports,” he stated in a quote not mentioned in the ad.
The explanation for the full YouTube video notes that the speech is “unlimited” in both access and use.
Since Trump took office, the century-old relationship between the United States and Canada has suffered. The resentment caused by the tariffs and Trump's threat to make Canada the 51st state of the United States has fueled a growing resentment. Many Canadian citizens have decided to boycott American products and avoid traveling to the United States.
Canada has long been a key trading partner of the United States: last year, US imports from Canada totaled $411.9 billion, according to government data.
However, the Canadian economy has been severely impacted by the high sectoral tariffs Trump imposed on automobiles, steel, aluminum, lumber, and energy, some of the country's largest exports to the United States. These tariffs are part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which Trump brokered during his first term and is due to be reviewed by a mandatory review next year. Currently, the unemployment rate in Canada is at its highest point in nine years.
"This is what no country should be facing right now," Jack Buffington, director of the Supply Chain Program at the University of California, told CNN. Denver, following Trump's statements. "It is critical that we stabilize the supply chain in North America, especially considering the challenges the United States faces vis-à-vis China."
Carney triumphed in the April election with a clear message to Canadians, warning that their relationship with the United States would undergo significant changes in the coming years. Instead, he has cultivated relationships with other Western nations; on Thursday, before Trump's announcement, he reported on X that Canada intends to double its exports to countries other than the United States in the next decade.
"Our main goal is to build a more robust economy, one that doesn't