US President Donald Trump says all trade talks with Canada are terminated following what he called a fake advertisement featuring former president Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs.

“Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier this week said the ad with anti-tariff messaging had caught Trump’s attention. The ad shows Reagan, a Republican, criticising tariffs on foreign goods while saying they caused job losses and trade wars.

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

Trump has used tariffs as leverage on many countries around the world.

His trade war has increased US tariffs to their highest levels since the 1930s and he has regularly threatened more duties, sparking concerns among businesses and economists.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Thursday that Canada would not allow unfair US access to its markets if talks on various trade deals with Washington fail.

Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium and autos earlier in 2025, prompting Ottawa to respond in kind. The two sides have been in talks for weeks on a potential deal for the steel and aluminium sectors.

In 2026, the United States, Canada and Mexico are due to review their 2020 continental free-trade agreement.

The Ontario ad that has angered Trump is part of a campaign costing 75 million Canadian dollars.

It  features imagery of the American countryside, cityscapes – including the New York Stock Exchange and cranes with both US and Canadian flags – workers, families and businesses.

The audio comes from a radio address Reagan made on the subject of “free and fair trade” at Camp David in Maryland in 1987.

“Over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer,” he says in the narration used in the Ontario anti-tariff ad.

“High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.”

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said in a social media post that the Ontario government did not seek permission to use and edit the remarks, claiming it “misrepresents” the former president’s address.

It said the foundation was “reviewing its legal options” and encouraged people to listen to Reagan’s “unedited video” on its YouTube channel.

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

–with The New Daily