President Donald Trump has condemned a Canadian government advertisement that used spliced audio of former US president Ronald Reagan to criticise American tariffs, calling it “crooked” and “dishonest” and suggesting the excerpts may have been generated by artificial intelligence.
The advertisement, sponsored by Ontario’s provincial government, takes real but edited moments from an April 1987 Reagan address about imposing tariffs on Japan. Trump responded by ending all trade negotiations with Canada on Thursday.
“Canada lied,” Trump told reporters on Friday. “They made up a fake statement by President Reagan. Reagan was a big supporter of tariffs when needed.” The Reagan Presidential Foundation also condemned the ad as unauthorised and a misrepresentation of Reagan’s views, and said it is pursuing legal options.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that he would pull the advertisement to allow trade talks to resume, following discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. However, Ford said the ad would continue running through the weekend, including during the first World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said in a statement. “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”
