President Donald Trump has announced a 10% increase in tariffs on goods imported from Canada, escalating tensions between Washington and Ottawa. The move follows the airing of an anti-tariff advertisement in Ontario that featured former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing trade barriers.
The controversial ad, which ran ahead of the World Series baseball championship, quoted Reagan, a revered Republican figure, saying that “tariffs hurt every American.” The message appeared to criticize Trump’s protectionist trade stance, prompting a swift and angry response from the U.S. president.
In a social media post, Trump denounced the advertisement as a “fraud” and accused Canadian officials of failing to take it down in time. He then announced the tariff increase, saying the move was necessary to protect American interests.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford later responded, saying he would remove the advertisement to ease tensions and allow ongoing U.S.-Canada trade talks to continue smoothly.
Canada currently remains the only G7 nation without a finalized trade agreement with the United States since Trump initiated his tariff campaign against major U.S. trading partners. The latest escalation adds fresh uncertainty to North America’s trade relations, which have already faced months of political and economic strain.
