Ontario premier provokes Trump

26/10/2025 6:15

The premier of Canada’s most populous province has again complicated the country’s delicate trade negotiations with the U.S., this time with a political ad targeting Americans that has drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.



The ad, commissioned by Doug Ford, Ontario's outspoken Conservative premier who is sometimes compared to Trump, uses a snippet of Republican icon and former President Ronald Reagan saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster.



On Saturday, Trump announced that he was increasing tariffs on goods from Canada by an additional 10% "above what they're paying now," in response to the ad.



On Thursday, Washington halted trade talks with Canada over Ontario's decision to air the ad.



Prime Minister Mark Carney, unlike Ford, has sought to lower the temperature with Trump since taking office in March and had hoped for a deal to eliminate U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.



In March, Ford, who often sports a "Canada is not for sale" hat, threatened to implement a surcharge on energy going to several American states if the U.S. moved ahead with tariffs on steel and aluminum.



Ford later relented, and the White House claimed victory, saying he had “Backed down.” Ford said in a statement on Friday that after discussions with Carney, Ontario would pause the U.S. advertising campaign on Monday so that trade talks could resume.