Donald Trump Halts Trade Talks with Canada, Calls Anti-Tariff Ads Using Reagan’s Voice “Fraudulent Propaganda”

Washington: A fresh diplomatic row erupted between Washington and Ottawa after US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of all trade negotiations with Canada, accusing the Canadian government of running “fake” advertisements that misused the late President Ronald Reagan’s voice and image to criticize US tariffs.

In a fiery post on Truth Social, Trump said the alleged Canadian campaign was “an attempt to interfere with decisions of the US Supreme Court” and described it as “egregious behavior” undermining bilateral trade trust.

“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 ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts. Tariffs are very important to the national security and economy of the U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump declared.
The statement followed remarks by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had earlier stated that his government was planning to diversify Canada’s export markets to reduce dependence on the United States amid rising trade tensions.

The controversy began after the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute revealed that the Government of Ontario allegedly produced a misleading advertisement featuring edited clips and audio from Reagan’s 1987 radio address on “Free and Fair Trade.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Foundation accused Canada of misrepresenting Reagan’s message and confirmed that no permission had been granted for such use.

“The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute learned that the Government of Ontario, Canada, created an ad campaign using selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan delivering his ‘Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade,’ dated April 25, 1987. The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the Foundation stated.
The Foundation also confirmed that its legal team was reviewing possible action over the unauthorized use of Reagan’s likeness and voice.

“We are reviewing our legal options in this matter. We encourage the public to view President Reagan’s original, unedited address available on our official YouTube channel,” it added.