In 1987, President Ronald Reagan sharply criticized tariffs and trade barriers. Ontario’s government used Reagan’s words in an advertisement promoting free trade between the US and Canada in response to President Trump’s tariffs.

President Donald Trump has canceled trade negotiations with Canada over what he called a “fake” ad that featured parts of an anti-tariff speech delivered by conservative hero and former President Ronald Reagan.

The anti-tariff ad, which President Trump pointed to in cutting off trade talks with Canada, uses several sound bites from an April 1987 speech, though not in the order President Ronald Reagan said them.

President Donald Trump canceled trade talks with Canada on Thursday, citing a recent ad released by the government of Canada’s Ontario province that quoted former President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 radio address to the nation on fair trade.

Overall, the ad’s message aligns with most of Reagan’s remarks, which, over five minutes, expressed a dim view of tariffs. Reagan said he believed that in the long term, tariffs would lead to trade wars and hurt Americans.

The ad, which was shared on social media by the Ontario premier on Oct. 16, borrowed an audio clip of Reagan’s radio address in April 1987. U.S. President Donald Trump called it “fake.” He also said the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute announced that the advertisement was done “fraudulently.”

Reagan was pro-immigration and pro–free trade, rejecting the nativism and protectionism that have been Trump’s hallmarks. He launched his 1980 campaign with a speech that included a proposal for a “North American Accord” to allow “peoples and ...

Next April, Florida will host the Ronald Reagan Speech and Debate Championship, offering students the chance to win prizes of up to $50,000.