Trump Says All Trade Talks with Canada Have Been Terminated

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that all trade negotiations with Canada have been called off, calling a recent Canadian ad campaign a “fraudulent” one that misused remarks by former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.

“Based on their bad behavior, all trade talks with Canada are hereby terminated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that an anti-tariff television ad had caught Trump’s attention. The ad featured Reagan warning that tariffs on foreign goods destroy jobs and fuel trade wars — a message widely interpreted as a rebuke to Trump’s protectionist stance.

“I heard the President saw our ad,” Ford said on Tuesday. “I’m sure he wasn’t too happy about it.”

Trump has repeatedly used tariffs as leverage in global trade disputes, sparking what economists have described as the most aggressive U.S. trade war since the 1930s. His administration has frequently threatened new import duties, alarming businesses and trade partners worldwide.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Thursday that if negotiations with Washington over separate trade deals fail, Canada will not allow unfair U.S. access to its markets.

Earlier this year, Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, prompting Ottawa to retaliate with its own duties. The two sides have been in talks for weeks to reach a possible agreement on the steel and aluminum sectors.

Next year, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are scheduled to review their 2020 continental free trade agreement, setting the stage for another round of potentially tense negotiations.