WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on ending trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariff advertising campaign, as Prime Minister Mark Carney sought to downplay the sudden rupture.

On his Truth Social network, Trump said he had “terminated” all talks and vented fury at what he called a “fake” ad that he said misquoted former president Ronald Reagan discussing tariff policy.

Trump said the campaign was designed to “interfere with the decision of the US Supreme Court,” which is due to rule on his sweeping global tariffs.

“CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” he posted on Friday. “Canada has long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400 per cent. Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the US any longer.”

Canadian PM expresses readiness to build on recent progress with America

Carney did not directly respond to Trump’s move, instead only saying recent talks had made progress “and we stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready.” Canada has “to focus on what we can control, and realise what we cannot control,” he added.

Trump wrote that “the Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”

He reiterated that Reagan “LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY”. The foundation wrote on X that the Ontario government had used “selective audio and video” from a radio address on trade that Reagan delivered in 1987.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025