“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,” Ford said of the ad, which has aired in U.S. markets.
“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said. “I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games.”
Ford’s hometown Toronto Blue Jays are set to host the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first game of the Series on Friday night. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night in Toronto.
Ford, who calls himself a “big Ronald Reagan fan,” first posted the ad on X on Oct. 16, days after saying that Ontario’s government would spend $75 million to run the ad in the United States.
“We’re going to repeat that message to every Republican district there is, right across the entire country,” said Ford.
On the ad, Reagan’s voice is heard saying, “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs.”
“And sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time,” Reagan says. “But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.”
Trump raged about the ad in Truth Social post on Friday morning.
“CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!!They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY,” Trump wrote.
“Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country. Canada has long cheated on Tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400%. Now they, and other countries, can’t take advantage of the U.S. any longer. Thank you to the Ronald Reagan Foundation for exposing this FRAUD.”
The Supreme Court in early November is set to hear oral arguments in a case that will determine if Trump had power under the law to impose sweeping tariffs against scores of countries, including Canada, without the consent of Congress.
