Trump announces additional tariffs against Canada
Washington. US President Donald Trump has announced additional tariffs of ten percent against Canada. The Republican, speaking on the Truth Social platform, cited the failure to immediately remove an allegedly misleading Canadian advertising campaign against tariffs. Instead, it was shown again last night, Trump wrote.
On Friday, the Canadian province of Ontario suspended the broadcast of the anti-tariff commercial following strong criticism from Trump – but not immediately. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Platform X that, following a discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario would suspend its advertising campaign starting Monday.
Trump had previously halted trade talks with the neighboring country because of the commercial. Ford justified the pause for the commercial by saying it would allow talks to resume. Now it's becoming clear that this won't happen for the time being.
The Ontario Premier had already announced that the advertising campaign would continue this weekend. He said the goal had been achieved by reaching the American audience at the highest level. The intention was to initiate a discussion about the impact of tariffs on workers and companies.
Even when Trump announced the halt to trade talks with his neighbor, he accused Canada of a misleading advertising campaign. In the video released by the government of the Canadian province of Ontario, the voice of former US President Ronald Reagan can be heard discussing the disadvantages of tariffs. Tariffs are one of Trump's favorite foreign policy tools, as he repeatedly emphasizes.
The US organization The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute had previously complained that recordings of a previous radio address by Reagan from 1987 had been used without permission for the promotional clip – and that the video's makers had misleadingly embedded the "selectively used" statements of the Republican, who died in 2004, into the video. The organization wrote in a statement published on X that it is considering legal action.
In his most recent post, Trump accused Canada not only of misrepresentation but also of "hostile action." He also again insinuated that Canada was trying to influence judges in the United States who are dealing with tariffs.
Trump was referring to the highest court in the United States. The Supreme Court is currently considering Trump's tariff policy at the request of the US government. The US president is hoping for support from the justices after suffering defeats in lower courts.
RND/dpa
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