U.S. President Donald Trump has announced on social media he will be increasing “the Tariff on Canada” by 10 per cent “over and above what they are paying now” because of an advertisement by the Ontario government.
“Canada was caught, red handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Saturday afternoon.
“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing it was a FRAUD,” the U.S. president added.
It’s unclear at the moment which tariff, or tariffs, the U.S. president is referring to. CBC News has reached out to the White House, the Prime Minister’s Office and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office for details.
It’s the latest escalation by Trump over an advertisement by the Ontario government that uses the late U.S. president Ronald Reagan’s own words to send an anti-tariff message to American audiences.
See the anti-tariff ad Doug Ford has been airing in the U.S.
On Thursday night, Trump said he was terminating all trade discussions with Canada over the advertisement, which he described then as fraudulent and fake.
He continued that criticism in his Saturday afternoon post, arguing that Reagan “LOVED” tariffs for national security purposes and the economy.
Just before Trump cut off trade talks, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute said it took issue with the ad and claimed the Ontario government “did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remark.”
Ford said on Friday his government will pull the advertisement from U.S. screens after this weekend, but millions more Americans are still expected to view it during the World Series game tonight.
In his post, Trump also claimed the sole purpose of Canada’s “FRAUD” was hoping the United States Supreme Court will come to the country’s rescue.
The Trump administration has requested the Supreme Court overturn a ruling by the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals that the president’s move to impose broad-based tariffs on Canada, Mexico and dozens of other countries was unconstitutional.
Canadians have been ‘very difficult’ to negotiate with on trade, Trump adviser says
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in November. If Trump loses, the tariffs he slapped on Canada and Mexico over fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration would be quashed, along with what he likes to call his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
On Thursday, Trump made a similar statement and claimed the Ontario ad was designed to “interfere” with what he called “THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney is currently in Malaysia in search of trade opportunities with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Trump is expected to arrive on Sunday.
The prime minister has not yet publicly commented on Trump’s latest announcement. However, after the U.S. president announced he was terminating trade talks with Canada, Carney gave a brief response to reporters in Ottawa.
‘We stand ready’ to talk trade with U.S., Carney says after Trump cuts off negotiations
“We stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have those discussions because it will be for the benefit of workers in the United States, workers in Canada and families in both our countries,” the prime minister said.
Carney also said discussions had been moving forward in specific sectors on tariff relief, such as steel, aluminum and energy.
More to come.
