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 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 US 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.”
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