Trump announces the “termination” of trade talks with Canada

US President Donald Trump announced that he would immediately end all trade talks with Canada, accusing Ottawa of using statements by former President Ronald Reagan in a distorted manner in an advertising campaign against tariffs.

“Based on their outrageous behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada are cancelled,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation just announced that Canada fraudulently and falsely used an ad featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,” he added.

This sudden shift in the relationship between the two North American neighbors comes about two weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the White House in an effort to ease US customs duties.

The Ronald Reagan Foundation reported on X that the Canadian provincial government “selectively” used audio and video clips from a radio speech Reagan gave in April 1987.

She added that the announcement “misrepresents” what the former Republican president said in his speech about trade, adding that she is “reviewing her legal options in this matter.”

Trump said the announcement was designed to “interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court,” which is scheduled to issue its ruling on his sweeping international tariffs.

Although about 85% of goods are exempt from customs duties between the United States and Canada due to their commitment to the North American Free Trade Agreement, the international tariffs imposed by Trump on sectors such as steel, aluminum, and automobiles had a negative impact on Canadian companies and led to the loss of jobs.