What's in controversial Reagan advert and is it what he really said?

October 24, 2025

President Trump announced an immediate halt to all trade negotiations with Canada in response to an advertisement sponsored by Ontario featuring excerpts from Ronald Reagan's 1987 speech on free trade. The ad, which maintained Reagan's original words but rearranged their sequence, highlighted Reagan's criticisms of tariffs as harmful to Americans. While The Ronald Reagan Foundation claimed the ad "misrepresents" the former president's address, fact-checking reveals that although the ad altered the order of Reagan's statements, it did not change his actual words.

Who is affected

United States and Canada's trade relationship
Ontario province (ad sponsor)
American businesses, workers, and consumers involved in US-Canada trade
The Ronald Reagan Foundation
Those who may be influenced by the advertisement's message about tariffs

What action is being taken

President Trump is halting all trade negotiations with Canada
Ontario is sponsoring and distributing an advertisement featuring Reagan's anti-tariff statements
The Ronald Reagan Foundation is publicly criticizing the advertisement as misrepresenting Reagan's address
Fact-checking is being conducted to compare the advertisement's content with Reagan's original speech

Why it matters

The dispute impacts the significant trade relationship between the United States and Canada
The controversy highlights different interpretations of Reagan's free trade legacy and how historical statements are used in contemporary policy debates
The halting of trade negotiations could have economic consequences for businesses and consumers in both countries
The situation demonstrates how historical speeches can be edited and repurposed for current political messaging

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC