PoliticsU.S. President Donald Trump says Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the Ontario government ad that used former president Ronald Reagan’s own words to spread an anti-tariff message to an American audience.U.S. president says he terminated trade talks over ad featuring Reagan’s voiceBen Andrews · CBC News · Posted: Oct 31, 2025 3:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesU.S. President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled ongoing trade negotiations earlier this month, citing an Ontario government anti-tariff ad. (Evelyn Hockstein, Blair Gable/Reuters)U.S. President Donald Trump says Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the Ontario government ad that used former president Ronald Reagan’s own words to spread an anti-tariff message to an American audience.“I have a very good relationship [with Carney]. I like him a lot, but what they did was wrong. He was very nice. He apologized for what they did with the commercial,” Trump said on Friday in a scrum with reporters on Air Force One.“It was a false commercial. It was the exact opposite — Ronald Reagan loved tariffs.”The Prime Minister’s Office has not confirmed whether Carney apologized. On Oct. 14, the Ontario government launched the one-minute ad featuring clips from Reagan’s April 1987 radio address about free trade.In the full speech, Reagan defends a narrow application of tariffs while condemning their use more broadly. The former president remained an ardent free-trader throughout his time in office.Days after the ad first aired, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute criticized the Ontario government on social media, and Trump abruptly terminated trade negotiations with Canada, calling the ad fraudulent and “FAKE.”Ontario Premier Doug Ford agreed to pause the ad campaign, but only after it aired again during the World Series.WATCH | Ford says Carney saw ad before it aired in U.S.:Ford says Carney saw Reagan ad before it aired in U.S.Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Prime Minister Mark Carney and his chief of staff, Marc-André Blanchard, were both aware of the Ontario government’s anti-tariff TV advertisement. U.S. President Donald Trump said he halted trade talks with Canada because of the ad.On Friday, Trump referenced a face-to-face meeting with Carney at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit earlier this week.“We had a great dinner, with other countries as you know. I think we have a very good relationship personally,” Trump said.“I think that what they did was wrong, but he apologized.”Was Ontario’s anti-tariff ad worth it? What conversations are you having with the Americans in your life? Leave your comment here and we may read it or call you back for our show this Sunday.It isn’t the first time Trump has said he received an apology for the ad.Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump said “they’ve apologized,” though he did not specify who issued that apology.Ford’s office said they have nothing to add to the premier’s previous comments on the ad.ABOUT THE AUTHORBen Andrews is a reporter with CBC News in Ottawa. He can be reached at benjamin.andrews@cbc.ca or @bendandrews.
Trump says Carney apologized for Ford’s anti-tariff ad
