Mark Carney Apologises to Trump Over Controversial Ronald Reagan Anti-Tariff Ad

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed on November 1, 2025, from Gyeongju, South Korea—where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit—that he had personally apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump for a controversial anti-tariff advertisement aired by Ontario's provincial government. The one-minute commercial, launched on October 14 by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, featured edited clips from Ronald Reagan's 1987 radio address, in which the former U.S. president warned that "high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries, and the triggering of fierce trade wars," potentially causing markets to "shrink and collapse," businesses to shut down, and "millions of people" to lose jobs.

Reagan advocated for "rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition" as the path to prosperity for all nations. Carney, speaking to reporters ahead of his return to Ottawa, acknowledged the fallout: "I did apologise to the president. The President was offended," adding that bilateral trade discussions would resume only "when the US is ready."

The ad's release blindsided federal diplomacy, as Carney revealed he had reviewed it with Ford beforehand and explicitly opposed its airing. "I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad," Carney stated, emphasizing it was a provincial initiative outside his purview. Ford, a vocal Conservative often likened to Trump for his brash style, defended the spot as a public service to educate Americans on tariff perils, claiming it achieved "mission accomplished" by sparking U.S. discourse—evidenced by its discussion on Senate floors and in media outlets like CNN and NBC.

Despite Carney's veto, the ad ran during high-profile World Series games on October 29 and 30, prompting Trump's immediate backlash via Truth Social: "But they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a fraud." Ford relented and pulled the campaign post-broadcast but continued amplifying Reagan's message through op-eds in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, writing, "I’m not American, but like millions of Canadians I admire Reagan and his commitment to free trade." Critics noted the ad's selective editing omitted context from Reagan's speech, which justified targeted duties on Japanese imports, though it did not misrepresent his broader free-trade ethos.

Trump, aboard Air Force One on October 31, dismissed the ad as "a false commercial" and "crooked," insisting Reagan "loved tariffs" despite historical evidence to the contrary, including Reagan's own reductions in U.S. trade barriers during his tenure. He praised Carney personally—"I have a very good relationship [with Carney]. I like him a lot"—but decried the incident as a "hostile act," confirming the apology occurred over a working dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on October 29, where the leaders exchanged pleasantries across the table.

In retaliation, Trump suspended all ongoing U.S.-Canada trade negotiations—initially aimed at refining the USMCA—and announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian exports atop existing duties on autos, lumber, steel, and aluminum, plus a 35% levy on non-USMCA goods. This escalation echoes Trump's first-term tactics but has drawn bipartisan U.S. Senate pushback, with a 50-46 vote on October 29 to terminate his tariffs, including four Republican defections.

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The episode underscores deepening frictions in North American trade amid Trump's protectionist revival, with other Canadian premiers like Manitoba's Wab Kinew and British Columbia's David Eby doubling down on similar ad campaigns despite the uproar. Carney, fresh from APEC meetings including a sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on foreign interference, reiterated Canada's strong position: "After all the noise of this week, Canada still has the best trade deal of any country with the US. And we stand ready to negotiate an even better one." As the U.S. Supreme Court gears up for oral arguments next month on challenges to Trump's tariffs, the Carney-Trump détente hangs in precarious balance, with economic ripple effects—potentially billions in added costs for Canadian exporters—looming large until Washington signals readiness to reengage.

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