Trump hikes Canada tariffs by 10% in retaliation move

Donald Trump has announced an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from Canada, raising the stakes in his already heated trade war after Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan.

Calling the ad a «fraud», the president accused Canadian officials of knowingly backing it and lashed out at them for not removing it ahead of the World Series baseball championship. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump declared: «Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,» according to Reuters.

Last week, Donald Trump abruptly ended all trade talks with Canada after accusing Ontario’s government of funding a «fake» U.S. advertisement that featured Ronald Reagan’s real voice and words taken from an authentic 1988 speech criticizing protectionism.

The ad, which aired online and during several U.S. broadcasts, repurposed Reagan’s original remarks warning against tariffs and trade isolation to highlight the economic risks of Trump’s current policies. Enraged by what he called a «fraudulent» attempt to manipulate public opinion, Trump claimed the ad was a $75 million effort to influence ongoing court cases over his controversial «Liberation Day» tariffs.

Declaring «CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!», he announced that all trade negotiations with Canada were «hereby terminated», defending tariffs as vital to U.S. national security and economic strength.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by acknowledging the end of trade talks, saying Ottawa would instead focus on developing new partnerships, particularly with major Asian economies.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration had already raised tariffs on most Canadian imports to 35%, one of the highest rates applied by the U.S. to any trading partner. Canada is also the only G7 country that has yet to reach a trade deal with the United States since Trump began seeking to levy steep tariffs on goods from major trading partners.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had no plans to meet the Prime Minister of Canada during his trip to Malaysia, even though both leaders were headed to a major international summit.

For his part, the Prime Minister said, according to Reuters, that he is ready to sit down for trade talks with Donald Trump as soon as the U.S. president is prepared to do so, but emphasized that while he remains open to further negotiations, he will reject any trade deal that is not in the best interest of Canadians.