Show Caption
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Nov. 1 he has apologized to President Donald Trump for an ad run by a provincial government that angered the U.S. leader and prompted him to put a halt to trade negotiations."I did apologize to the president," Carney told reporters in South Korea.The ad, which was run by the Ontario provincial government and not by the Canadian federal government, was played during World Series games and featured a snippet of remarks by former President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In the remarks, Reagan spoke critically of tariffs. The ad included the conservative icon's accurate remarks, but spliced select phrases from a longer address. Trump has criticized it as "FAKE."In response, Trump announced on social media he was terminating trade negotiations with Canada, and claimed the ad misrepresented Reagan's views. He also announced a 10% increase on tariffs on goods coming from the United States' neighbor to the north. Trump's move came as he has imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from countries including Canada, and as the Supreme Court on Nov. 5 is set to hear oral arguments in a case that will decide the fate of the tariffs.The ad was commissioned by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who announced the ad would be paused starting Oct. 27 "so that trade talks can resume.""I told Ford I did not want to go forward with the ad," Carney said on Nov. 1.Carney said he made his apology when they both attended a dinner hosted by South Korea's president on Oct. 29. Trump has said he had a "very nice" conversation with Carney at that dinner.What did the ad show?The 60-second ad condensed remarks made during a longer speech by Reagan in an April 25, 1987 radio address, days after he increased tariffs on some Japanese imports in response to Japan violating a semiconductor trade agreement. In that talk, Reagan made it clear he is not a fan of tariffs.“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while, it works, but only for a short time,” Reagan said in the ad.The White House objected because the ad omitted another part of Reagan’s address. “As I’ve often said,” the former president said in the original remarks, “our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade.”Read more on how Reagan felt about tariffs.Contributing: Michael Collins and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY; Reuters
