US President Donald Trump has said he will halt all trade negotiations with Canada immediately over an advert in which his predecessor Ronald Reagan says tariffs 'hurt every American'.
The ad, sponsored by Canada's province of Ontario and released last week, features excerpts of an address Reagan gave in 1987 focusing on foreign trade.
Trump called the advert 'FAKE' while The Ronald Reagan Foundation said it 'misrepresents' the former president's address.
While the minute-long advert only includes excerpts from the original, five-minute-long address, it does not alter Reagan's words. It does however alter the order in which he made the comments.
Below are the lines from the advert in italics, followed by an explanation of how they appear (indicated in bold) in the original address.
'When someone says, 'let's impose tariffs on foreign imports', it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes, for a short while, it works, but only for a short time.'
This line is the opening of the minute-long advert. The words have not been altered but were originally spoken by Reagan halfway through his address. The original speech begins with Reagan discussing recent Japanese trade disputes.
Reagan emphasizes his long-term aversion to tariffs, stating their negative effects on the economy, highlighting that 'such trade barriers hurt every American, worker, and consumer'. While the advert connects statements that were actually separated in the original speech, the message remains rooted in Reagan's belief in the perils of tariffs.
The fallout from the ad has raised questions about its influence on current trade policies, showcasing how historical rhetoric can impact modern diplomatic relationships.
