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Trump's reactionary tirade against anti-tariff ad met with shrugs in Canada
A near collective shrug that rippled across the country following the 
initial shock at Trump's late night social media post that torched Canada — 
specifically Ontario — for a provincial ad campaign against U.S. tariffs.

Oct. 24, 2025

The most surprising national reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's 
angry "termination" of Canada-U.S. trade talks?

A near collective shrug that rippled across the country following the 
initial shock at Trump's late night social media post that torched Canada — 
specifically Ontario — for a provincial ad campaign against U.S. tariffs.
The indifferent response made itself felt across markets, affected 
industries, the prime minister's office and premiers. It was as if the 
crazy of Trump's on-again off-again threats is baked into the nation's 
consciousness.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he'd be ready whenever the U.S. wanted, 
before winging his way to Asia to woo new trading partners. Premier Doug 
Ford will suspend the Ronald Reagan-inspired anti-tariff advertisement that 
infuriated Trump but not before it airs all weekend.

Ford said he talked to Carney and will pause the $75 million campaign that 
appeared to derail trade talks. For how long they are off is anyone's 
guess.

"Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of 
economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers 
and businesses," Ford said Friday. "We've achieved our goal, having reached 
U.S. audiences at the highest levels."

"I've directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans 
over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two 
World Series games," the premier said of the spot featuring a 1987 speech 
by Reagan, the former Republican president who warned against protectionism 
and the economic risk of weaponizing trade tariffs.

Carney reacted calmly to Trump's late-night blow-up, saying it underlines 
how Canada must diversify its trading partners and be ready to restart 
negotiations "when the Americans are ready."
  
Carney addressed reporters after Trump posted anew Friday on Truth Social, 
notably not repeating his Thursday night declaration that "all trade 
negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated."

On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Israel that "the 
president made his announcement that he suspended any trade talks with 
Canada for now."

Carney did not take media questions before departing for a nine-day trip to 
Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. A federal official said Carney and the 
Canadian government did not get a heads-up before Trump's Truth Social 
post, nor had they received notice that trade talks are officially off. 
Carney's team learned of Trump's move from social media, the official said.
The insider said Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Privy 
Council Clerk Michael Sabia are not in D.C. and there are no immediate 
plans for talks to resume, but would not say whether Carney asked Ford to 
withdraw the offending ad. The prime minister and the premier want the same 
thing, said the official. "They both want a good deal for Canadian workers, 
and they have different approaches."

Still, Trump's changed wording Friday morning gave stakeholders reason to 
think talks might resume.

Flavio Volpe, of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, said it 
was no accident that Trump dropped the more inflammatory threat. "I think 
that was purposeful, and we can't ignore that he may have backed off his 
extreme position."

Trump lamented the Ontario government ad attacking U.S. tariffs, saying it 
shows Canada is trying to "illegally influence the United States Supreme 
Court" as it weighs the legal validity of his tariffs.

The president claimed that Canada "cheated and got caught" wielding a "big 
buy" advertising campaign that "fraudulently" used Ronald Reagan's words to 
attack U.S. tariff policy.
   
"We can't control the trade policy of the United States," Carney said, 
noting U.S. policy has "fundamentally changed" from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s 
"and it's a situation where the United States has tariffs against every one 
of their trading partners to different degrees." 
  
In that globally destabilized context, Carney said Canadians have been 
working with American colleagues in "detailed, constructive negotiations, 
discussions on specific transactions, specific sectors, steel, aluminum and 
energy." That is, until Thursday night.

"A lot of progress has been made, and we stand ready to pick up on that 
progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have 
those discussions, because it will be for the benefit of workers in the 
United States, workers in Canada and families in both of our countries," he 
said.

Carney pivoted to his government's plans to enhance Canada's trade 
resilience here and abroad.
"What we can control absolutely is how we build here at home," Carney said, 
adding, "We certainly can control new partnerships, particularly with Asian 
giants, and that is the purpose of this trip."
Ford, who hoped the commercial sways American voters in next year's midterm 
elections, initially told the Globe and Mail he would not withdraw the $75 
million ad campaign, which uses Reagan's own words to condemn tariffs, and 
is suddenly getting a much wider audience reach because of Trump's 
outburst.
 

The premier retweeted Reagan's speech on Friday morning, posting: "Canada 
and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald 
Reagan knew that we are stronger together," he wrote.
It is believed Trump first saw the ad during Monday's Fox broadcast of the 
seventh game of the American League Championship Series won by the Toronto 
Blue Jays.

Other premiers like B.C.'s David Eby and Manitoba's Wab Kinew cheered Ford 
on, with Eby promising an ad campaign "to defend British Columbia and 
Canada's forestry workers. Our wood faces higher US tariffs than Russia. 
Absurd. Truth will win!" Kinew said "President Trump's tariffs go against 
Ronald Reagan's legacy. Doug Ford's ads are good — keep them on TV."
The CBC reported that even Pope Leo, American by birth, noted the bilateral 
tensions, saying Canada and the U.S. are "experiencing great 
difficulties." 

"Two countries that we once considered the closest allies at times have 
become separated from one another. And it's another proof, another 
expression of why ... listening and dialogue are so important and how they 
have concrete applications in our daily lives," he said.
"Go Doug Ford! Go Doug Ford!" said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May on 
Parliament Hill.


New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader in the senate, said, "Senate 
Democrats will force votes in the coming week to reverse Donald Trump's 
damaging tariffs on Canada and other countries that have been one of the 
driving forces behind higher prices."
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Canada is his state's 
largest trading partner, and "the president's policies are hurting our 
economy, jacking up prices for Pennsylvanians, and closing markets for our 
businesses."
Despite the Reagan speech being in the public domain and him being quoted 
accurately, Trump insisted the former president "loved tariffs for our 
country" when, in fact, he was a key architect of free trade around the 
world in the 1980s.