Trump Considers 10% Increase in Canadian Tariffs During Unusual Speech

An advertisement invoking the words of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs has sparked outrage from Donald Trump, prompting him to threaten an end to trade negotiations with Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced plans to withdraw the contentious ad after the weekend. The commercial aired Friday night during the opening game of the World Series.

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his discontent, stating, “The Advertisement was supposed to be removed IMMEDIATELY, yet it still appeared last night during the World Series, despite being a FRAUD,” while en route to Malaysia aboard Air Force One.

He further declared, “Due to their significant misrepresentation of facts and this hostile act, I am imposing an additional 10 percent tariff on Canada, above their current rates.”

The specific legal grounds Trump might employ to enforce these extra import duties remain uncertain.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when the 10 per cent hike would come into effect, and whether it would apply to all Canadian goods.

Canada’s economy has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been trying to work with Trump to lower them.

More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian ($3.9 billion AUD) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.

A spokesperson for Carney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many Canadian products have been hit with a 35 per cent tariff, while steel and aluminium face rates of 50 per cent.

Energy products have a lower rate of 10 per cent, while the vast majority of goods are covered by the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement, and are exempt from tariffs.

That trade agreement is slated for review. Trump negotiated the deal in his first term, but has since soured on it.

Trump and Carney will both attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. But Trump told reporters traveling with him that he had no intention of meeting Carney there.

Trump said the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president and a beloved figure in the Republican Party. But Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 address featured in Ontario’s ad spelling out the case against tariffs.

Trump has complained the ad was aimed at influencing the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of arguments scheduled for next month that could decide whether Trump has the power to impose his sweeping tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy.

Lower courts had ruled he had exceeded his authority.