Trump said: “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”
The foundation wrote on X the Ontario Government had used “selective audio and video” from a radio address on trade that Reagan had delivered in 1987.
It said the ad “misrepresents” what the Republican former actor had said in his address, adding it was “reviewing its legal options”.
The ad used quotes from Reagan’s speech, in which he warned against some of the ramifications that high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the US economy.
It cited Reagan as saying “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars,” a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website.
The latest twist in relations between the United States and Canada came about two weeks after Carney visited Trump at the White House to seek a relaxation of stiff US tariffs.
At that meeting, Trump described Carney as a “world-class leader” and said the Canadian would “walk away very happy” from their discussion.
Trump’s global sectoral tariffs, particularly on steel, aluminium, and vehicles, have hit Canada hard, forcing job losses and squeezing businesses.
For now, the United States and Canada continue to adhere to an existing North American trade deal called the USMCA, which ensures about 85% of cross-border trade in both directions remains tariff-free.
– Agence France-Presse
