Trump threatens Canada with an additional 10% tax for not withdrawing trade sanctions against tariffs

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday he plans to impose an additional 10 percent tax on Canadian imports following an anti-tariff television ad aired by the province of Ontario.

The ad uses the words of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs, infuriating Trump, who said he would end trade negotiations with Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would withdraw the ad after the weekend, although it aired during the first two games of the World Series on Friday and Saturday.

"Their ad was supposed to be pulled immediately, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing it was a fraud," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform while flying aboard Air Force One to Malaysia.

"Due to your gross misrepresentation of the facts and your hostile act, I will increase tariffs on Canada by 10% above what you pay now."

It is not yet known what legal authority Trump would use to impose the additional taxes on imports. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when the 10% increase will take effect or whether it will apply to all Canadian goods.

Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian minister responsible for trade affairs with the United States, sought to draw a distinction, indicating in a statement that responsibility for the negotiations rests with Canada's federal government, not provincial leaders.

"Progress is best achieved through direct engagement with the U.S. government," he said.

Canada's economy took a severe hit from Trump's tariffs, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has sought to work with the U.S. president to reduce them. More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the United States, and nearly CAD$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) in goods and services cross the border daily.

Spokespeople for Carney and Ford did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Many Canadian products have been hit by a 35% tariff, while steel and aluminum face 50% levies. Energy products face a lower rate of 10%, while the vast majority of goods are covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement and are exempt. The trade agreement is expected to be reviewed soon. Trump negotiated the agreement during his first term but has since lost interest in it.

Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia. However, the US president told reporters traveling with him that he had no intention of meeting with his Canadian counterpart.

Trump pointed out that the ad misrepresents the position of Reagan, a two-term president who remains a beloved figure in the Republican Party. However, the late president was cautious about tariffs and devoted much of the 1987 speech featured in the Ontario ad to arguing against them.

Trump has complained that the announcement is intended to influence the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of arguments scheduled for next month to decide whether the president has the power to impose widespread tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy. Lower courts had ruled that he had exceeded his authority.