'They played dirty, I can play dirtier': Trump blasts Canada, won’t meet Carney over Reagan ad

US President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out meeting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, citing a controversial advertisement he called “dishonest” and threatening to derail trade negotiations between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters at the White House ahead of his trip to Asia, Trump criticised the Ontario provincial government for the timing of a television ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan. The ad, which criticised tariffs, ran during the first two games of the World Series.

“They could have pulled it tonight,” Trump said. “Well, that’s dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can, you know.”


Trump had referenced the ad on Thursday night when announcing his decision to terminate trade negotiations with Canada. He accused the ad of being “fake” and said it was designed to influence US courts.

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“What they did is really dishonest. And I heard they were pulling the ad. I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled it tonight,” he told reporters.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump added, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT.”

When asked if he planned to meet Carney in Asia, Trump replied bluntly, “No, I don’t have any plan to.”

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded on Friday, saying he would pause the ad on Monday to allow trade talks to resume. “I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,” Ford said.

The ads, reportedly funded by the Ontario government, have been running on major US networks and are estimated to have cost $75 million. Trump’s reaction underscores rising tensions over trade and tariffs with Canada, the United States’ second-largest trading partner.