Trump threatens Canada with 10% extra import tax over anti-tariffs ad : NPR
President Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, October 25, 2025.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump said Saturday he plans to raise tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by another 10 percent because of an anti-tariff television ad aired by the province of Ontario.
The ad used the words of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs, angering Trump who said he would end trade talks with Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would pull the ad after the weekend, and it aired Friday night during Game 1 of the World Series.
“Their ad was supposed to be taken down IMMEDIATELY, but they let it circulate last night during the World Series knowing it was FRAUD,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform as he flew aboard Air Force One to Malaysia.
“Due to their serious misrepresentation of the facts and their hostile act, I am increasing the tariffs imposed on Canada by 10% beyond what they currently pay.”
It was not immediately clear when the 10% increase would take effect, or whether it would apply to all Canadian products.
The Canadian economy has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has tried to work with Trump to reduce them. More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the United States, and nearly C$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.
Many Canadian products face tariffs of 35%, while steel and aluminum face rates of 50%. Energy products benefit from a lower rate of 10%, while other goods covered by the United States-Canada-Mexico agreement are exempt. This trade agreement should be revised. Trump negotiated the deal during his first term, but has since soured on it.
Both Trump and Carney will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. But Trump told reporters traveling with him that he had no plans to meet Carney there.
Trump said the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president and beloved figure in the Republican Party. But Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 speech featured in the Ontario ad to explain the case against tariffs.
Trump complained that the ad was intended to influence the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of debates scheduled for next month that could decide whether Trump has the authority to impose his drastic tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy.
