Trump Announcesโ 10% Tariff Increase on Canada Following Advertisement Airing
WASHINGTON D.C. – president Donald Trump โฃannounced Saturday he will increase tariffs on Canadian goods by 10% โin response to a television advertisement aired โbyโค the Ontario provincial government. โคThe ad utilizes excerpts from a 1987 speech by former Presidentโ Ronald Reaganโ criticizing tariffs, arguing they lead to job losses andโค trade wars.
The โadvertisement, which Trump labeled “fraudulent,” surfaced as tradeโฃ negotiations between the U.S.and Canada regarding steel and aluminum tariffs where suspended. Trump had previouslyโข imposed tariffs on Canadian โคsteel, aluminum, and automobilesโ earlierโค this year, prompting โฃretaliatory tariffs from Ottawa.
The Ontario government, led by Doug Ford, had agreed to pause airing the advertisement on โฃMonday to facilitate the resumption of trade talks, following a meetingโข with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. however, โขthe adโ aired Friday during a Major League Baseballโข World Series game featuring the Toronto Blue Jays andโฃ the โLos Angeles dodgers, triggering Trump’s โคresponse.
“Their ad should be โtaken down INSTANTLY, โbut โฃthey aired it last night during the World Series, knowing it wasโฃ FRAUD,” Trump wrote โคon โขhis social media platform, Truth Social. Heโ added,”Because โof the serious misrepresentation of facts and the antagonistic act,I will โคincrease โCanada’s tariffsโฃ by 10% above โwhat they are paying now,” โฃwithout โคspecifying which products wouldโฃ be affected.
Trump made the proclamation while travelingโฃ aboard Air Force One en route to Kuala Lumpur,โข Malaysia, for the 47th summit of theโ Association of Southeast Asian Nations โข(ASEAN).
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation released a statement Thursday night asserting the Ontario government was “selectively using audio and โvideo” of Reagan and did not obtain permission toโ use or edit โhis statements. Though,the BBC reported that while excerpts were chosen from Reagan’s 1987 speech,his words were not distorted.
As of Saturday, the U.S.โฃ Department of Commerce, the White โHouse, and the โขCanadian Primeโ Minister’s office had not issuedโค official statements โขregarding the announcement or itsโ repercussions.