'They did this to interfere!' Trump cuts off trade talks with Canada in late-night tantrum
President Donald Trump announced he was cutting off trade talks with Canada over an advertisement released by Ontario's provincial government featuring critical comments about tariffs made by the late Ronald Reagan.
The former president's foundation claimed the ad issued this week "misrepresents" Reagan's 1987 speech, in which he argued tariffs “every American worker and consumer” and “triggering fierce trade wars," and the foundation is "reviewing legal options" and Trump is lashing out.
"The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs," Trump posted late Thursday on Truth Social. "The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts."
The U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments next month on the president's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after lower courts found Trump's orders unlawful, and the federal government could be required to refund up to $1 trillion in revenue to American companies if the justices uphold those decisions.
"TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A.," Trump posted. "Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT"
Trump has thrown the centuries-long friendly relationship between the U.S. and Canada into turmoil with steep tariffs on autos, aluminum, energy, lumber and steel and threatened to take over Canada as the 51st state, and the trade war has hurt both nations' economies and job markets.