According to US President Donald Trump, trade talks between the USA and Canada will be broken off immediately. Trump accused Canada on Thursday (local time) on his online service Truth Social of misquoting former President Ronald Reagan in an advertising campaign against tariffs. “Due to their egregious behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” Trump wrote.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada fraudulently used a fake advertisement depicting Ronald Reagan making negative comments about tariffs,” Trump wrote. The ad is designed to “influence” the US Supreme Court’s decision. This will soon deal with the legality of the Trump administration’s import tariffs against numerous countries around the world.
Worse relations with Canada since Donald Trump took office
The Ronald Reagan Foundation said on X that the Ontario government had “selectively” used audio and video from Reagan’s April 1987 radio address to the nation on trade. The ad distorts the former president’s statements in his speech. The Ronald Reagan Foundation further said it was “exploring its legal options in this matter.”
Only around two weeks ago, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney traveled to Washington to seek an easing of US tariffs. However, Trump did not make any concessions at the time.
The traditionally friendly relations between the neighboring countries Canada and the USA deteriorated drastically when Trump took office in January. The US President is pursuing an aggressive tariff policy towards his northern neighbor. He also repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st state of the USA.
Note: This article has been updated
