President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was terminating trade talks with Canada, effective immediately.
Trump accused Canada of trying to interfere with an upcoming Supreme Court case about the legality of his “reciprocal” tariffs.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social after the Canadian province of Ontario began running a television advertisement in the United States featuring a speech from former President Ronald Reagan.
“They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” Trump wrote, referring to the high court’s scheduled Nov. 5 oral arguments on legal challenges to a significant part of Trump’s tariffs. They include the country-specific rates at the heart of both his foreign policy and economic agendas.
The ad, which Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, posted on X, begins with Reagan saying, “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time.”
“But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer,” he continues in the ad.
“Then the worst happens, markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs,” Reagan says in the 1987 radio address delivered from Camp David, Maryland.
It concludes with him saying: “Throughout the world, there’s a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition. America’s jobs and growth are at stake.”
Ontario ran the ad during a game in the American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners. Fox Sports, which broadcast the game, said more than 9 million people were watching.
The Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said earlier Thursday that it was “reviewing its legal options” over the use of Reagan’s address. “The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” it said.
The offices of Ford and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Canada is one of the United States’ most important trading partners. Last year, it was the third top source of imports for the United States, with more than $410 billion worth of goods coming in.
Many American supply chains are also highly dependent on Canada, such as the auto industry, although the administration has been pushing the “big three” U.S. automakers to do less cross-border manufacturing.
Trump’s termination of talks Thursday is not the first time he has cut off trade negotiations with Canada. In June, he said he was “terminating ALL discussions on trade with Canada,” citing the treatment of American tech companies and dairy farmers.
Canada quickly retaliated, slapping a quota on steel products, over what Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne called “unjust U.S. tariffs.”
But days later, Canada announced it would rescind its digital services tax, which would have hit major U.S. companies, to appease Trump.
Carney visited the White House in early October, and relations seemed to have been patched up. Speaking alongside Carney in the Oval Office, Trump spoke of the “mutual love” the United States and Canada have for each other.
But Trump still hinted at possible tensions. “We want Canada to do great,” he said. “But you know, there’s a point at which we also want the same business.”
