What the Ronald Reagan ad that got Trump so angry was really all about

NEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled 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 Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute also said the ad misrepresented the former president’s words.

It wasn’t fake. It was edited. But Reagan really did spend a five-minute speech — an April 25, 1987, national radio address that the Reagan Library has published on YouTube — railing against tariffs. It was a full-throated expression of support for free and fair trade.

The ad, purchased by the government of Ontario and broadcast on major U.S. television networks, aired clips of the address, delivered from Camp David, where Reagan was soon to meet the prime minister of Japan at a time when American attitudes toward Japan were hardening. In the recent past, Japanese companies like Toyota and Sony had flooded America’s market with high quality but inexpensive cars and electronics, harming the business of great American brands, including General Motors and RCA.

Shortly before delivering the radio address, Reagan had placed higher tariffs on various Japanese products in retaliation for the influx of cheap Japanese semiconductors to America. He had some harsh words for Japan – not included in the ad – criticizing it in terms that resembled Trump’s frequent trade missives.

“We had clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement between Japan and the United States,” Reagan said. “We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements.”

Reagan said he would remove the tariffs only when there was evidence Japan was treating American businesses and workers fairly – also seemingly channeling one of Trump’s go-to lines.

But Reagan was clear: He was “loath” to place trade barriers on Japan and believed high tariffs were damaging to American workers and the economy. He noted that economists widely believe that high tariffs of the Smoot-Hawley era had exacerbated the Great Depression, which he and others of his generation lived through – a painful memory that, he said, remained “deep and searing.”

The bulk of Reagan’s address – and the part the ad drew from most heavily – was his description of why advanced economies had largely abandoned tariffs as an economic tool by the time he became president: They increase domestic companies’ reliance on government intervention, they reduce competition, they kick off trade wars that lead to more tariffs, they raise prices and they ultimately lead to job losses.

Reagan then criticizes the Democratic-controlled Congress for proposing legislation that could place more trade barriers on other countries. And, despite “certain select cases like the Japanese semiconductors,” Reagan said his administration had embraced free trade.

It’s not clear why Trump called the ad “fake,” but his Truth Social post included a critical message about the ad posted online by The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. It said the ad campaign used “selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan” and “misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address.” The foundation didn’t say what it believed to be misrepresented.

In a separate Truth Social post Monday, Trump incorrectly stated that Reagan supported tariffs.

“They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY,” Trump posted. “Thank you to the Ronald Reagan Foundation for exposing this FRAUD.”

The Ronald Reagan Foundation & Institute also claimed the government of Ontario didn’t seek permission to use or edit Reagan’s speech, although it’s not clear it was legally required to. The foundation said it was reviewing its legal options and encouraged people to watch the unedited speech.

The ad has run many times during high-profile events, including during the American League Championship series that featured the Toronto Blue Jays. Starting Friday night, the Ontario-based team will play in the World Series – a great source of national pride for Canadians.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a speech on October 14 said his government had placed the ad on virtually every major US network because he wanted to “take Ronald Reagan’s words and let’s blast it to the American people.”

“That ad, it’s not a nasty ad,” Ford said. “It’s very factual. And coming from a person like Ronald Reagan, every Republican is going to identify that voice.”

“He was just the best president America has ever seen in my opinion,” Ford, a conservative politician, said.