Donald Trump has once again reached for his tariff weapon — this time targeting Canada, which he believes has employed "fake advertising" featuring a quote from Ronald Reagan's 1987 remarks. In a $75 million ad, the former president states that tariffs are ineffective in the long run — a sentiment that evidently struck a nerve with Trump, prompting him to impose an additional 10% tariff on top of existing rates.
"In light of their serious distortion of facts and hostile actions, I am raising the tariff for Canada by 10%," Trump proclaimed on Truth Social, as if he were doling out penalties for poor public relations.
Canada launched a campaign in Ontario featuring Reagan discussing the harms of protectionism — something Trump took as a personal affront. The president demanded the advertisement's removal, labeling its display as "fraud," even though the quote is wholly genuine and sourced from archives.
Once again, North American neighbors find themselves engaged in a game of tariff ping-pong, with each stroke accompanied by loud social media declarations and threats of new tariffs. Canada remains silent for now, but it seems to be preparing for a counterattack.