Canada Caves: Ontario Pulls Reagan Ad After Trump Ends Trade Talks

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced his administration will pause a $75 million U.S. ad campaign after President Donald Trump cut off trade negotiations over a commercial that featured audio from former President Ronald Reagan.

Ford said the campaign, which aired in the United States during Major League Baseball playoff games, was meant to spark conversation about tariffs and their economic impact. But Trump, calling the ad deceptive, accused Canada of attempting to manipulate Reagan’s words and influence American policy.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

Trump’s sharp rebuke came after the Reagan Foundation signaled it might pursue legal action against Ontario for misusing the late president’s voice.

While Ford defended the campaign’s intent, he agreed to suspend it starting Monday after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He said the message had already reached “the highest levels” of the U.S. government and that the ad would still run during the first two games of the World Series.

The controversial spot included a clip from Reagan’s April 25, 1987 radio address about trade. The Reagan Foundation urged viewers to hear the former president’s full remarks on its YouTube page, calling the ad misleading.