Trump Increases Duties on Canada's Imports In Response to Ronald Reagan Ad

The President flying on his plane
Donald Trump declared the duty hike while flying to Southeast Asia on Saturday

President Trump has announced he is increasing duties on goods imported from Canada after the territory of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring ex-President Ronald Reagan.

In a Truth Social post on the weekend, the President described the commercial a "fraud" and condemned Canada's authorities for not taking down it prior to the MLB finals.

"Owing to their major distortion of the facts, and aggressive move, I am raising the Tariff on Canada by 10% on top of what they are paying now," he wrote.

Following Trump on Thursday pulled out of trade negotiations with Canada, the Doug Ford stated he would take down the commercial.

Ontario's Response

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Friday that he would halt his region's anti-import tax commercial series in the US, advising the media that he chose after talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney "in order that trade talks can continue".

He also said it would continue to air during the weekend, during contests for the baseball championship, which includes the Blue Jays facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Commercial Background

The Canadian nation is the sole G7 state that has not achieved a deal with the US since the President commenced attempting to impose high import taxes on products from primary commercial allies.

The America has previously applied a thirty-five percent levy on every Canadian goods - though the majority are excluded under an current commercial pact. It has also applied sector-specific levies on Canadian goods, including a 50 percent tax on metals and 25% on cars.

In his message, published while he was en route to Malaysia, the President appeared to state he was including an additional 10% to those taxes.

75% of Canada's exports are sold to the US, and the region is the location of the largest share of the nation's car production.

Reagan Ad Particulars

The advert, which was paid for by the Ontario government, references ex-President Ronald Reagan, a GOP member and icon of conservative values, remarking duties "damage American citizens".

The video takes excerpts from a 1987 radio speech that addressed foreign trade.

The Reagan Foundation, which is charged with maintaining the late president's memory, had criticised the advert for using "carefully chosen" sound and footage and stated it falsified Reagan's 1987 speech. It further noted the Ontario authorities had not sought consent to use it.

Current Tensions

In his update on social media on the weekend, Donald Trump stated that the advert should have been taken down sooner.

"Their Commercial was to be taken down AT ONCE, but they allowed it to air recently during the World Series, knowing that it was a DECEPTION," he wrote, while flying to Malaysia.

Doug Ford had previously pledged to broadcast the Reagan commercial in each Republican area in the America.

Both the President and Carney will be going to the Association of Southeast Asian Nation in Malaysia, but Donald Trump informed reporters accompanying him on his aircraft that he does not have any "plan" of speaking with his Canadian PM during the visit.

In his update, Trump further alleged Canadian officials of seeking to manipulate an upcoming US Supreme Court lawsuit which could halt his entire import duty program.

The lawsuit, to be considered by the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, will rule on whether the tariffs are legal.

On Thursday, Trump additionally lashed out, claiming that the advert was designed to "meddle" with "a crucial lawsuit"

MLB Finals Link

The Reagan commercial is not the exclusive way that the province – location of the Toronto team – is using the MLB finals as a stage to condemn Donald Trump's import taxes.

In a recording shared on last Friday, Ford and California Governor Newsom playfully placed wagers about which club would win the finals.

The two leaders repeatedly bantered about duties in the clip, with Ford pledging to provide the Governor a tin of syrup if the Los Angeles team win.

"The import tax might cost me a additional dollars at the frontier nowadays, but it'll be justified," Ford said.

In response, Newsom suggested Ford to resume permitting US-made alcohol to be available in province beverage outlets, and pledged to send "our championship-worthy wine" if the Blue Jays triumph.

They finished their conversation together declaring: "To a excellent World Series, and a tariff-free alliance between the region and the state."

Melissa Knight
Melissa Knight

A seasoned esports analyst and content creator with over a decade of experience in competitive gaming and strategy development.