This week saw Ontario's government air a controversial anti-tariff ad featuring an audio recording of former President Ronald Reagan..

The advertisement was not well received by President Donald Trump, who abruptly declared that trade talks with Canada had been "terminated." 

Trump blasts ad

"The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs," Fox Business quoted Trump as saying in a Truth Social post.

"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 president alleged.

"Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED," Trump stated.

Trump further accused Canada of having "long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400%" before asserting, "Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the U.S. any longer."

Reagan Presidential Foundation weighs in

For its part, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute put up a social media post of its own, which linked to a video showing Reagan's remarks in full.

Listen to President Reagan's unedited remarks here: https://t.co/1gQUcbR4eZ pic.twitter.com/iqmjSuypp0

— Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute (@RonaldReagan) October 24, 2025

A statement embedded in the post noted how the Ontario government's ad drew upon audio from Reagan's "Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade" from April 25, 1987.

"The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks," it continued.

"The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is reviewing its legal options in this matter. We encourage you to watch President Reagan's unedited video on our YouTube channel," the statement went on to declare.

Ontario leader suspends ad under pressure

Reuters reported that Ontario Premier Doug Ford had scheduled the ad to air during this year's World Series, which features the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yet the news service noted that Ford has announced that the ad will be suspended at the beginning of next week, saying, "In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume."

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed hope on Thursday that "constructive negotiations" regarding trade can quickly resume.