The liberal Canadian premier who launched a $75 million anti-tariff ad campaign in the United States featuring former President Ronald Reagan will yank the effort after pressure from President Donald Trump.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday afternoon that he would pause the ad campaign put out by his administration targeting Americans starting on Monday. That announcement came after Trump on Thursday said he had ended all trade talks with Canada over the ad, calling it an effort to influence American politics.
“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford posted on X. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games.”
Ford said he would “pause [the] U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume” after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses. We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I’ve directed my team to keep putting our…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 24, 2025
Ontario’s ad featured clips from an April 25, 1987, radio address Reagan gave on free and fair trade. The ad campaign aired in the United States during a playoff baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Game 1 of the World Series takes place Friday night, featuring the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.
Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.
Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025
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Trump on Thursday said that the ad manipulated Reagan’s words.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Trump’s post followed a statement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute saying that it was pursuing potential legal options over Ontario’s use of the audio. The foundation encouraged people to watch Reagan’s full remarks on its YouTube channel.
