Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney disclosed on Saturday that he had apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump over a controversial anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan. The apology came shortly after Trump announced a 10 percent increase in tariffs on Canadian goods and suspended trade negotiations with Canada. Speaking to reporters in Gyeongju, South Korea, Carney stated, “I did apologize to the president. The President was offended,” and added that U.S.-Canada trade talks would resume when Washington was “ready.”
The diplomatic tension originated from a decades-old speech by Reagan that Ontario Premier Doug Ford used in a recent ad targeting U.S. audiences. The video, which highlighted Reagan’s 1987 condemnation of tariffs as a celebration of cross-border economic cooperation, quickly provoked Trump’s ire. Within hours, he declared that all trade talks with Canada were “terminated.”
In response, Ford attempted to defuse the situation on social media, writing, “Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours, and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together.” Nevertheless, the backlash from Washington intensified, prompting Ford—after consulting with Carney—to withdraw the ad campaign.
Ford’s office defended the ad, noting that it used “an unedited excerpt from one of Reagan’s public addresses, which is available through the public domain,” and also posted a longer version for context. The 60-second spot featured Reagan stating that “trade barriers hurt every American worker.” Trump, however, accused Canada of producing a “fake” and “fraudulent” video without providing evidence, leading to the suspension of trade negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the clip misrepresented Reagan’s remarks, and the Reagan Foundation criticized Ontario for using Reagan’s words without permission and alleged that the ad distorted his original intent.
