WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday compared a Canadian advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan to “election interference,” following backlash from President Donald Trump over the ad’s criticism of U.S. tariff policy.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Bessent said Ontario’s government “spent $75 million sending propaganda across the U.S. border via our airwaves,” calling it “the equivalent of election interference.” Host Jake Tapper noted the ad used Reagan’s actual words, taken from a 1987 speech opposing tariffs.
The ad, funded by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government, aired during the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It criticized Trump’s trade policies using Reagan’s warning that tariffs hurt American consumers. Trump accused the ad’s producers of rearranging Reagan’s remarks and said he would halt trade talks with Canada and impose a 10% tariff in response.
Ontario Mayor Patrick Brown defended the ad on CBC, saying it was truthful and designed to “make a splash.” Trump allies, meanwhile, have framed the campaign as foreign interference in U.S. politics.
The dispute adds to growing trade tensions between the Trump administration and Canada amid ongoing tariff disputes with global partners.
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