‘He was offended’: Carney says he apologised to Trump over ‘fake’ anti-tariff Reagan ad 

Canada PM says he apologised to Trump over Reagan ad; had drawn ire of US

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday that he had apologised to US President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff political advertisement and had urged Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to air it.

Speaking to reporters after attending an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea, Carney confirmed he privately apologised to Trump during a dinner hosted by South Korea’s president earlier in the week. “I did apologise to the president,” Carney said, confirming Trump’s comments made on Friday.

Carney said he had reviewed the advertisement with Ford before it was released, but had advised against it. “I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad,” he said. The ad, commissioned by Ford, featured a clip of former US President Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs could lead to trade wars and economic hardship.

The advertisement was aired during an American League Championship Series game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, a high-profile broadcast watched by more than nine million viewers on Fox Sports.

The Reagan Presidential Foundation later said it was “reviewing its legal options” over the use of Reagan’s remarks, adding that Ontario “did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit” the former president’s radio address.

Following the controversy, Trump announced a 10 percent increase in tariffs on Canadian goods and suspended all trade talks with Canada. He accused Ottawa of producing a “fake” advertisement that misrepresented Reagan’s stance on tariffs.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Confirming Carney’s apology, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, “I like him a lot. But you know what they did was wrong. He (Carney) was very nice. He apologised for what they did with the commercial.”

Carney acknowledged that Trump “was offended” by the ad but said trade talks would resume “when the US is ready.” “I’m the one who is responsible in my role as prime minister for the relationship with the president of the United States,” he said. “So things happen. We take the good with the bad, and I apologized.”

Carney noted that the two sides had been making progress before the talks were halted. “We were making progress before trade talks with the US were suspended,” he said, adding that Canada was moving swiftly to diversify its economic partnerships and reduce reliance on the United States.

(With agency inputs)