President Trump Explodes at Canada for “Fraudulently” Using Ronald Reagan Clip to Influence U.S. Supreme Court Tariff Case — Declares “They Cheated and Got Caught!”
President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery statement late Thursday night, accusing Canada of attempting to “illegally influence” the United States Supreme Court using what he called a “fraudulent and out-of-context” Ronald Reagan advertisement. The President’s post, shared on X, erupted into headlines across North America as he declared, “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!”
According to Trump, the Canadian government funded an ad campaign that used an edited clip from a 1988 Ronald Reagan speech to criticize U.S. tariffs, painting the former president as anti-protectionist — a portrayal Trump called “deceptive and historically false.” He claimed the ad was part of a larger effort to sway the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the legality of his “reciprocal tariff” policy, which imposes steep penalties of up to 400 percent on certain Canadian dairy imports.
“Canada has long cheated on tariffs, charging our farmers as much as 400 percent,” Trump wrote. “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. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Sources within the administration confirmed that the White House has ordered the immediate suspension of all bilateral trade talks with Ottawa until further notice. Officials described the ad as a “direct attack” on American sovereignty, given its timing — mere weeks before oral arguments begin at the Supreme Court in November 2025 over the constitutionality of Trump’s national-security-based tariff system.
The controversy centers on an Ontario-funded television and social-media spot featuring Reagan’s 1988 remarks warning against “walls of protectionism.” While the clip is genuine, U.S. officials say it was misleadingly presented without context. In the original speech, Reagan acknowledged that limited tariffs can be necessary to defend national security — a principle Trump’s administration now argues underpins his modern tariff policy.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, pictured speaking before a giant maple-leaf flag in the ad’s closing frame, has faced mounting backlash at home and abroad since the President’s statement. Conservative MPs in Ottawa called the move “reckless,” warning it risks provoking a full-scale trade retaliation. Pro-Trump lawmakers in the U.S., meanwhile, praised the President’s response as “decisive and overdue,” with Senator J.D. Vance calling it “another example of Canada’s double standards.”
By early morning, diplomatic phone lines between Washington and Ottawa were reportedly “silent.” Carney’s office issued a brief, carefully worded statement insisting the ad campaign was “educational” and “not intended to influence U.S. legal proceedings.” The claim did little to cool the storm.
Economists note that U.S.–Canada trade relations have repeatedly flared over dairy and lumber disputes since USMCA took effect. But few incidents have escalated this quickly. Trump’s decision to publicly denounce Canada — combined with his order to terminate negotiations — marks one of the sharpest reversals in the alliance’s recent history.
Political observers say the President’s tone evokes his early-term trade battles, reflecting both his populist base’s demand for economic fairness and his broader foreign-policy theme of “America First.” His message, amplified across social media overnight, drew millions of interactions within hours.
By dawn, hashtags like #CanadaCheated and #ReaganGate were trending across X. Supporters hailed Trump for “standing up for American workers,” while critics accused him of over-inflating the issue. Yet even skeptics admit the timing of the Canadian ad — so close to a Supreme Court showdown — was unusually provocative.
For now, the future of U.S.–Canada trade hangs in limbo, with tensions running high and Trump’s message crystal clear: he believes America has been played for too long — and under his watch, that era is over.
