US President Donald Trump escalated the trade row with Canada on Friday, calling the country "dirty" and "cheating" over an anti-tariff advertisement, even after the province of Ontario agreed to withdraw it.
The row began when Trump "terminated" all negotiations after an Ontario-run ad used quotes from former President Ronald Reagan criticizing high tariffs. The Reagan Foundation is also reviewing legal options, claiming the ad used "selective audio."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford quickly announced the ad would be paused effective Monday to allow trade talks to resume. However, Trump slammed the delay, insisting the ad should have been pulled immediately, warning, "That's dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can."
The ongoing dispute comes just ahead of the APEC summit in South Korea, where Trump stated he has no plans to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney, whose country has been hit hard by US sectoral tariffs, stressed that Canada is ready for trade talks "when the Americans are ready."
