Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced he would halt a multimillion-dollar ad campaign across the U.S. after President Donald Trump threatened to freeze all trade talks with Canada and accused the campaign of interfering in American politics.
Ontario’s Ford had poured $75 million into an aggressive anti-tariff media blitz aimed at American audiences, running commercials that featured archival audio of former President Ronald Reagan championing free and fair trade.
By the weekend, that campaign, which debuted during a high-profile playoff baseball showdown between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, was in the crosshairs at the highest levels of government.
President Trump, who condemned the Ontario ad as an effort to sway American political decisions, said Thursday that he would cease any trade negotiations with Canada.
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.
Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.
Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025
“They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” he posted to Truth Social.
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
He also slammed Canada for using “an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”
On Friday, Ford tried to cushion the fallout. He wrote on X, “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”
“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford added.
The Ontario premier announced he is pausing the campaign effective Monday so “trade talks can resume.”
Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses. We've achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I've directed my team to keep putting our…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 24, 2025
The ad provoked intense backlash from not only Trump, but the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute as well, which said it was looking at legal avenues in response to the unauthorized use of Reagan’s 1987 radio speech.
The foundation said Ontario had fraudulently used Reagan’s likeness and words, while Trump posted on Truth Social, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement…The ad was for $75,000,000.”
Trump doubled down on Friday, charging “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!” and alleging the ad was produced to “illegally influence the United States Supreme Court.”
Just to be clear, he's cancelling major trade talks over an ad that a provincial government ran, not even the government of Canada.
Yes, Republicans, your god is that stupid. pic.twitter.com/r1l39VqhTV
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) October 24, 2025
Ford, who described the pause as a chance to “protect Ontario — our workers, businesses, families and communities,” tried to refocus on unity between the two countries.
“Canada and the U.S. are neighbors, friends and allies,” he wrote. “Let’s work together to build Fortress Am-Can and make our two countries stronger, more prosperous and more secure.”
Adding to the cross-border drama, Premier Ford noted that his government would run the controversial commercial a few final times during the opening two games of the World Series, which pitted the Blue Jays against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and Saturday nights.
The ad’s deployment reignited fierce criticism from Trump’s political opponents. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer hammered Trump for halting the negotiations, calling the tariffs “madness” and promising to pressure Senate Republicans to erase them, saying, “the madness must stop.”
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Schumer blamed the Trump administration’s tariffs for increasing Americans’ household costs, stating families are being forced to pay more for essentials like lumber and beef, and predicted costs would only continue to climb.
Schumer pledged to bring the issue to a vote in the coming week, vowing “Americans will see if Republicans put Donald Trump or average families first.”
Meanwhile, Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine accused Trump’s trade approach of causing “chaos.’
Kaine said, “I’m going to do all I can to convince my colleagues it’s time to stop this foolishness.”
Yet not everyone north of the border was in disagreement with the decision to pull the ad.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith insisted that suspending the campaign was the correct move, insisting, “the path to a positive resolution with our U.S. partners lies in strong, consistent diplomacy and a commitment to working in good faith toward shared priorities.” Smith encouraged continued talks to restore a fair trade agreement.
British Columbia Premier David Eby took a different tack, refusing to step back from B.C.’s own anti-tariff advertising slated to begin soon.
“Americans need to hear how tariffs raise prices. We’re making ads to defend British Columbia and Canada’s forestry workers. Our wood faces higher U.S. tariffs than Russia. Absurd. Truth will win!” Eby posted on social media, insisting that his province’s media efforts in the U.S. would go ahead as planned.
The tensions stem from Trump administration tariffs recently increased on Canadian softwood lumber imports, now topping a combined 45 percent.
The sharp hike is one reason why American families, according to Schumer, are paying as much as $1,300 more each year for goods ranging from home-building materials to groceries.
