In a fresh twist to the ongoing US–Canada trade tensions, President Donald Trump has announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports, accusing Ottawa of running a “fraudulent advertisement” that misused former US President Ronald Reagan’s old speech on tariffs.
The move, announced on Trump’s Truth Social account late Saturday, comes amid a renewed chill in cross-border trade relations.
> “Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump wrote. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10 per cent.”
The US President also accused Canada of trying to “influence” the US Supreme Court, which is currently reviewing legal challenges to his tariff measures.
> “The sole purpose of this FRAUD was Canada’s hope that the Supreme Court will come to their rescue on Tariffs,” Trump added.
Ottawa responds with restraint
Reacting to the escalation, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would pause the controversial anti-tariff advertisement starting Monday to allow “trade talks to resume.”
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney maintained a conciliatory tone, saying his government was ready for “constructive discussions” once the US was prepared to re-engage.
> “We can’t control the trade policy of the United States. We recognise that policy has fundamentally changed,” Carney said before leaving for the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.
Carney revealed that negotiators had made “a lot of progress” in key sectors such as steel, aluminium, and energy, before Trump abruptly ended the talks on Thursday.
Trump’s fury boils over
Trump’s latest move came after a provincial advertisement from Ontario allegedly featured doctored footage of Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs. The US President slammed the clip as “fake” and called tariffs “vital to national security and the economy of the U.S.A.”
> “Based on their egregious behaviour, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote.
Washington defends the move
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett backed the President’s decision, saying Trump’s frustration with Canada had been “building up over time.”
> “The President is very frustrated with Canada, and he has a right to be,” Hassett told Fox News.
A strained partnership
The dispute marks another blow to one of the world’s most significant bilateral trading relationships. Trump had earlier imposed a 35% tariff on select Canadian exports and even hinted that Canada could become the 51st US state — a remark that only deepened the diplomatic rift.
As both sides dig in, the future of US–Canada trade ties remains uncertain — and this latest ad war might just have pushed them further apart.
