President Donald Trump just dropped a trade bombshell that could make Canadian bacon a lot pricier.
Newsmax reported that in a fiery response to a provocative anti-tariff advertisement from Ontario, Trump announced plans on Saturday to slap an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports, escalating an already tense economic standoff with our northern neighbor.
The drama kicked off on Friday night when Ontario aired a television ad during the World Series opener, cleverly—or perhaps recklessly—using former President Ronald Reagan’s own words to slam U.S. tariff policies.
Trump didn’t take kindly to this jab, especially since the ad seemed to twist Reagan’s 1987 stance against tariffs into a direct attack on his economic playbook.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford quickly promised to yank the ad after the weekend, but the damage was already done—Trump saw it as a deliberate slight, timed for maximum exposure during a major sporting event.
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump claims the ad was a sneaky attempt to sway the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of next month’s arguments over his authority to impose broad tariffs, a cornerstone of his strategy to protect American jobs.
“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump blasted on Truth Social, clearly irked by what he sees as Ontario’s bad faith.
Let’s unpack that—while the ad’s use of Reagan’s words may sting, it’s hard to argue it’s a “fraud” when the footage aligns with historical record; still, the timing does smell like a calculated political stunt.
In retaliation, Trump doubled down with, “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,” per his Truth Social post, signaling no mercy for what he views as a betrayal.
Canada’s economy is already reeling from existing U.S. tariffs, with many products facing a hefty 35% rate, steel and aluminum hit with a punishing 50%, and even energy goods taxed at 10%—though items under the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement remain exempt.
With over three-quarters of Canadian exports heading to the U.S. and roughly $2.7 billion in goods and services crossing the border daily, another tariff hike could be a gut punch to an already struggling trade partner.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been working overtime to negotiate a tariff rollback, but Trump’s latest move suggests those talks might be dead in the water—especially since Trump has no plans to meet Carney at the upcoming ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
The U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement, a deal Trump himself negotiated during his first term, is up for review, but his growing frustration with it hints at more turbulence ahead for cross-border trade.
While it’s unclear when this new 10% tariff will kick in or which goods it will target, the uncertainty alone is enough to rattle markets and businesses on both sides of the border.
At the end of the day, this spat over a single ad underscores a bigger truth—trade wars are easy to start but devilishly hard to end, and while Trump’s tough stance may resonate with Americans tired of perceived trade imbalances, it risks alienating a key ally at a time when unity matters most.