The ad that caused president Trump to end trade talks with Canada is facing criticism for “misrepresenting” Ronald Reagan ‘s 1987 speech. The ad selectively used a clip warning against tariffs, but the full speech tells a different story.
In the full five-minute address, Reagan was, in fact, defending his own decision to impose tariffs on Japanese semiconductors. He called the decision “a lot to take” but necessary to hold Japan to a trade agreement.
Only after justifying his own tariffs did Reagan give a lengthy warning about the general dangers of protectionism, the part Ontario’s ad used. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation called the ad “selective audio.”
President Trump seized on this, calling the ad “fraudulent” and “fake.” He used the controversy as justification to “terminate” all trade negotiations with Canada over its “egregious behavior.”
This halt in talks, confirmed by secretary of state Marco Rubio, escalates a trade war over US tariffs (now 35%) on Canadian goods, plunging the c$3.6 billion daily trade relationship into chaos.