The US-Canada trade war has escalated dramatically, with president Donald Trump citing a “fraudulent” ad as his reason for terminating all negotiations with Ottawa.
The ad, sponsored by Ontario, used a 1987 clip of Ronald Reagan warning against tariffs. Trump blasted the ad as “fake” and an act of “egregious behavior.”
He claimed the ad was an attempt to influence US supreme court hearings on his 35% tariffs, which have hit Canadian industries like steel and aluminum.
The ad has also been criticized by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation for using “selective audio” to “misrepresent” the full speech.
The halt in talks, confirmed by secretary of state Marco Rubio, jeopardizes the c$3.6 billion in daily cross-border trade and puts the Canadian economy in a precarious position.