(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced he’s adding an extra 10% tariff on Canadian imports over a negative TV commercial featuring a speech by President Ronald Reagan.
Officials in the province of Ontario have said the ad, which protests Trump’s tariff policy, will be pulled from the airwaves next week. However, Trump said in a social media post that given the ad was played during Game 1 of the World Series Friday night, he is increasing duties on Canadian goods.
The ad was played again during Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night.
“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,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform.
Earlier this week, Trump said he was halting trade talks with Canada over the ad, which launched earlier this month.
The ad features audio with excerpts of a 1987 address by Reagan that came as he imposed some duties on Japanese products but cautioned about the long-term economic risks of high tariffs and the threat of a trade war.
Trump claimed, without evidence, that the ad “was Canada’s hope that the United States Supreme Court will come to their ‘rescue’ on Tariffs that they have used for years to hurt the United States.”
The Supreme Court is set to hear a case this term about Trump’s sweeping tariff policy.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he was halting the ads so that trade talks could resume but noted that it would air during the World Series.
Dominic Leblanc, the Canadian minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, appeared to respond to the ad campaign in a statement released on Saturday, saying in part that “progress is best achieved through direct engagement with the U.S. administration — which is the responsibility of the federal government.”
“As the Prime Minister said [Friday], we stand ready to build on the progress made in constructive discussions with American counterparts over the course of recent weeks,” Leblanc said.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute said in a statement on social media Thursday evening that the Canadian ad campaign used “selective audio and video” of Reagan and “misrepresents” what he said in the address.
The foundation said in a statement that it was exploring its legal options.
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