Trump Escalates Trade Tensions with Canada by Increasing Tariffs

Mon Oct 27 2025 06:02:08 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent post, President Trump announced a significant increase in tariffs on Canadian imports, reacting to an anti-tariff advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan amidst heightened trade negotiations.

US President Donald Trump declared a 10% increase in tariffs on Canadian goods following an advertisement aired in Ontario that criticized current tariff policies. He deemed the advertisement a fraud and criticized Canadian officials for allowing it to run during key sporting events. Ontario's Premier Doug Ford responded by pausing their advertisement campaign after discussions with federal officials. Nonetheless, the political tensions continue as trade negotiations between the two nations remain strained.

US President Donald Trump has announced he is increasing tariffs on goods imported from Canada after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.

In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump called the advert a fraud and lashed out at Canadian officials for not removing it ahead of the World Series baseball championship.

Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now, he wrote.

Prior to Trump's announcement on Thursday, he had withdrawn from trade talks with Canada, prompting Ontario Premier Doug Ford to consider taking down the contentious advert.

Ford decided to pause his province's anti-tariff advertisement campaign in the US after a discussion with Prime Minister Mark Carney in hopes that trade talks can be resumed. He noted the ad would still run over the weekend during the World Series games.

Canada remains the only G7 country yet to reach a trade deal with the US since Trump's push for heavy tariffs on major trading partners began. Currently, the US has imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods, with most exempt under an existing free trade agreement, alongside sector-specific tariffs including 50% on metals and 25% on automobiles.

In his message while traveling to Asia, Trump hinted at adding 10 percentage points to existing tariffs. With Ontario comprising the majority of Canada's automobile manufacturing, the implications for trade could be significant.

The contentious advert quotes Reagan stating that tariffs hurt every American, taken from a 1987 address focused on foreign trade. The Reagan Foundation criticized the ad for using selective audio and misrepresenting the context in which Reagan spoke.

Trump also accused Canada of trying to manipulate a pending US Supreme Court case that will assess the constitutionality of his tariffs, a case that could potentially affect his entire tariff regime.

In a light-hearted exchange, Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom made bets about the World Series while referencing the tariffs, aiming to foster a sense of friendly competition.