Doug Ford says Ontario anti-tariff ad has caught Donald Trump’s eye

Premier Ford says he’s sure Trump ‘wasn’t too happy’ about the province’s ad targeting Americans with an anti-tariff message from former president Reagan.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a pricey ad targeting Americans with anti-tariff messaging has caught the attention of Donald Trump.

“I heard that the president heard our ad. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park Tuesday.

The ad features a clip of former president Ronald Reagan — a beloved Republican icon— slamming tariffs on foreign goods and saying they lead to trade wars and job losses.

“It’s real, because it was coming from the best president the country’s ever seen, Ronald Reagan,” Ford said. “So it is very effective. It’s probably one of the best ads I’ve ever seen.”

The ad, which Ford previously said cost $75 million, has been running on most major U.S. networks.

Ford has said the aim is to “blast” the message to Americans, particularly Republican districts where Trump draws his support.

The premier also took question on the auto sector the same day General Motors announced it would end production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at its Ingersoll, Ont. plant, just a week after Stellantis announced it would move Jeep Compass production originally slated for its Brampton plant to Illinois.

Asked if it was time to end government incentives for auto companies in light of the moves, Ford said he disagreed.

“I don’t think so, because we’re going to hold them accountable,” he said. “But you know, the grants and the loans and the deals that we’ve made really created a tremendous amount of jobs.”

MPPs returned to the legislature this week after a nearly five-month break and the government indicated its plans to counter U.S. tariffs will continue to top its agenda.

However the Ford government has faced criticism over job losses in the auto industry, as wells as for decisions about how money was doled out from the Skills Development Fund — a $2.5 billion fund meant to train workers for in-demand industries in the face of tariffs.

The auditor general has said the process was not fair, accountable or transparent.

Labour Minister David Piccini has come under particular scrutiny after it emerged that he attended a wedding in Paris and sat rink-side at a hockey game with those who stood to benefit from the fund, and that he intervened to elevate some applications that scored lowered than others.

Ford said he has no plans to fire Piccini as opposition parties have demanded, saying he “put together a great program.”