Donald Trump on Saturday announced higher tariff rates on Canada, specifically in response to an anti-tariff advertisement that used Ronald Reagan’s own words, sparking outrage among observers.
For days, the president had expressed frustration over the ad, which features Reagan discussing the dangers of imposing excessive trade barriers on other countries. Over the weekend, Trump followed up with real consequences.
“Canada was caught, red-handed, putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Tariffs,” Trump claimed. He referenced a statement from the Reagan Foundation, which said they had “created an ad campaign using selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan. The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address and did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is reportedly reviewing its legal options in the matter. According to Trump, the ad’s “sole purpose of this FRAUD was Canada’s hope that the United States Supreme Court will come to their ‘rescue’ on tariffs that they have used for years to hurt the United States.”
Following these accusations, Trump announced a 10% increase in tariffs on Canadian goods.
The move was met with criticism from various commentators. White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg stated, “Let’s be clear about what this is. Canada isn’t paying a godd thing. He’s increasing taxes on Americans by executive fiat because he didn’t like an advertisement that quoted Reagan’s (accurate) views on tariffs.” He added, “You (and I) are paying these taxes—not Canada.”
The media group MeidasTouch commented, “Trump says he’s increasing tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by 10% because Ontario’s commercial that accurately used Ronald Reagan’s words about tariffs made him sad.”
Economist Justin Wolfers weighed in as well, saying, “It just got 10% dumber. Not a joke: Trump just imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on Canada because he still doesn’t understand that Reagan was a vehement free trader.”
Tax analyst Erica York questioned the authority behind the decision: “The President should not have the power to arbitrarily impose tariffs. Is the new 10% tariff on imports from Canada related to the fentanyl emergency or the reciprocal trade emergency, or are hurt feelings also now a national emergency?” she further added.
This latest tariff hike highlights ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Canada surrounding trade policies and raises concerns about the broader impact on American consumers.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-10-percent-internet-outrage/
