Trump Ends All Trade Talks With Canada Following Reagan Ad

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that all trade talks with Canada are terminated following a misleading advertisement that altered former President Ronald Reagan’s speech on tariffs.

The Details: Trump accused Canada of “fraudulently us[ing] an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.” Trump said the Canadian government “only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts” over the legality of Trump’s tariffs. The ad, according to Trump, cost $75,000,000 and utilized “selective audio” to alter Reagan’s “Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade.” The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”

For Context: Trump ran on the promise of enacting tariffs and has been negotiating with several nations around the globe on trade. The tariff negotiations have caused some countries to retaliate, and others such as China to trade blame amongst increased tensions. Trump has spoke much on the benefits of tariffs for the US economy, and the White House recently said it planned to utilize tariff revenue during the government shutdown to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) running.

How The Media Covered It: Associated Press (Left bias) highlighted Trump’s reactions to the ad, saying he “was still at it on Friday morning, furiously posting on his social media site.” Newsweek (Center) highlighted Trump’s Truth Social post and his claim that Canada has committed fraud. Breitbart (Right) noted that “more than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.”   

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