US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced an additional 10% tariff on imports from Canada, further escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. The new tariff will be added to the existing duties already applied to Canadian goods. Trump’s decision came just days after he ended trade talks with Canada, accusing the government of misusing former US President Ronald Reagan’s speech in an anti-tariff advertisement.
Trump accuses Canada of ‘fraudulent’ Reagan ad
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Canada had “misrepresented the facts” through a misleading campaign. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote.
Trump claimed Ottawa was “caught red-handed” in releasing a “fraudulent advertisement” that distorted Reagan’s words on tariffs. He cited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, which confirmed that parts of the former president’s 1987 speech were edited without permission. According to the Foundation, the ad took Reagan’s remarks out of context and misused his message on trade. The organization said it was “reviewing its legal options” regarding the ad.
Canada open to talks
Despite Trump’s move, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country remained open to restarting trade talks with the US. This latest tariff comes after Trump had earlier imposed 25% duties on Canadian exports and 10% on energy products. Canada retaliated with $30 billion in counter-tariffs on American goods such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, and apparel.
Additionally, Ottawa slapped 25% tariffs on US steel, aluminium, tools, and electronic equipment following earlier disputes.
The controversial Reagan advertisement
The controversy began with an ad aired in Ontario that used excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 radio address on tariffs. The clip featured Reagan warning that high tariffs could trigger trade wars, leading to job losses and business closures.The one-minute commercial aired on Newsmax and Bloomberg, aiming to criticize Trump’s tariff policies. The White House, however, called the ad deceptive and politically motivated.
