Last month, Donald Trump’s administration assured the US Supreme Court that the president’s massive tariffs were intended to address an “unusual and extraordinary threat” and were “essential to the country’s future.” This weekend, Trump announced that he was jacking up tariffs on Canadian goods by another 10 percent—because he was angry about a television ad that ran during the World Series.
Ten days ago, Ontario—Canada’s most populous province—released a TV spot featuring former President Ronald Reagan explaining at length why tariffs are generally bad. The ad edits the Gipper’s speech and omits a bit of nuance about his support for a narrower set of temporary tariffs imposed in 1987 on Japanese electronics. But overall, it provides a pretty accurate picture of the GOP icon’s free-market economic views.
MAGA world wasn’t happy. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute insisted Thursday that the ad “misrepresents” Reagan’s words and threatened, absurdly, that the foundation was “reviewing its legal options.” Trump joined in hours later, calling the ad “fake” and an effort to “fraudulently” interfere with the ongoing legal battle over the tariffs. “Based on their egregious behavior,” the president declared on Truth Social, “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Ontario responded by agreeing to remove the ad—but not before it aired during the World Series this weekend. Enraged, Trump returned to Truth Social Saturday afternoon. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Asked Sunday by NBC’s Kristen Welker why Trump is “setting trade policy based on a television ad he doesn’t like,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that Ontario’s actions represent “a kind of propaganda against US citizens.”
“It’s psyops,” Bessent said.
“This is interference in US sovereign matters,” he added on CBS, comparing the ad to foreign “election interference.”
Next month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether the US president can unilaterally raise your taxes because he disagrees with how a province in a foreign country edited a 38-year-old radio address. While you’re waiting the hear what John Roberts thinks about that, you can watch Reagan’s complete remarks below and decide for yourself.
