Trump Angered by Canadian Advertisement, Imposes Additional 10% Tariff

Darwin, 26 October-

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an additional 10% tariff on Canada.

According to a report by Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera, the announcement came on Saturday via social media after tensions arose over a controversial anti-tariff advertisement using former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Trump wrote, “The advertisement should have been stopped immediately, but (Canada) aired it last night during the World Series, fully aware that it was deceptive.”

He added, “Due to their serious misrepresentation and hostile behavior, I am increasing the tariffs on Canada by an additional 10% on top of the existing tariffs.”

The controversial advertisement was produced by the Canadian province of Ontario. It used a 1980s speech by Ronald Reagan, in which he warned of potential damage to the U.S. economy from imposing additional tariffs on foreign imports.

A comparison of the statements used in the ad with Reagan’s original speech showed that all the lines were from his speech, but the order had been rearranged.

Following the rising tensions over the advertisement, the United States has suspended ongoing trade talks with Ontario this week. Washington alleges that the Ontario provincial government distorted Reagan’s position and attempted to influence an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s tariff policy.

Meanwhile, Ontario has temporarily halted the advertisement. On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that after consulting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the province would “temporarily suspend” its U.S. advertising campaign from Monday to allow trade talks to resume.

Ford wrote on X, “Our goal was to spark a discussion with Americans about the kind of economy they want and the impact of tariffs. We achieved our objective because our message reached the highest levels in the U.S.”

However, he also noted that his team would continue the advertisement over the weekend and air it during the first two World Series games.

Following Trump’s announcement on Saturday, the Canadian government did not immediately comment. It remains uncertain whether the advertisement will be broadcast again during the second World Series game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8 p.m. local time.

Since taking office in January this year, Trump has implemented extensive tariff policies against Canada and several other countries, creating tension with Canada, a long-standing U.S. ally.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said this week that in response to U.S. tariff policies, his government aims to double exports outside the United States over the next decade. Currently, more than three-quarters of Canada’s total exports go to the U.S.