Premier Doug Ford says he achieved his goal with an advertisement by the Ontario government that uses former U.S. president Ronald Reagan’s own words to send an anti-tariff message to American audiences.
On Monday, Ford called the ad campaign “very effective” and said it received over a billion impressions.
“We generated a conversation that wasn’t happening in the U.S. — now every single local media, every large media, medium-sized media in the U.S. is talking about it,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Monday.
The one-minute anti-tariff TV ad, which launched Oct. 14, prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to cancel all trade negotiations with Canada. The ad featured a voiceover from Reagan’s April 1987 radio address about free trade, and a series of cinematic shots depicting American scenery and workers.
Last week, Trump attacked the ad, which he attributed to Canada rather than Ontario, as fraudulent and fake.
Ford said Monday that it was never his intention to “poke the president in the eye,” but to inform Americans of the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.
“You know why President Trump is so upset right now? Because it was effective. It was working, it woke up the whole country,” he said about the ads.
WATCH | Ford defends anti-tariff ad:
Ford defends anti-tariff ad, says he’s not planning more — yet
Hear some of the questions put to Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump cut off trade talks last week, citing an anti-tariff ad released by the Ontario government in the U.S.
Ford pulled the ad on Monday after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, so that trade talks between the two countries could resume.
When asked by reporters if Ford had received any feedback from Carney on the ad, he said he would not get into “personal conversations,” but that the prime minister was aware of the campaign before it was aired.
“He knew I was running it. I said it very clearly to everyone,” Ford told reporters Monday. “He saw the ad before I put it out, so did his chief of staff. They both saw, and we moved forward on it.”
Ford said he spoke to “almost every single premier” in Canada about the ad, and said they are all sticking together and continue to back his efforts against Trump.
The premier’s office previously said that Ontario was spending $75 million on the campaign, which aired on many American networks, including during Game 7 of the American League Championship Series and Game 1 and 2 of the World Series.
WATCH | The ad that triggered Trump:
Ford launches anti-tariff ad campaign in U.S.
The Ontario government is launching a new multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at U.S. residents, warning them of the dangers of tariffs. CBC’s Lorenda Reddekopp has the details.
Ford said Monday that he doesn’t know exactly how much his government spent on the campaign, but it wasn’t as high as previously reported.
“It was a lot less because we were going to run ads all the way through February. Now we put it on pause, but did we get our money’s worth? Oh my goodness, did we get our money’s worth,” he said.
Reagan foundation ‘reviewing legal options’
Ford also defended the campaign and said he did nothing wrong as the commercial uses an unedited excerpt from one of Reagan’s public addresses as president, which are available through the public domain.
“I’ve seen more Ronald Reagan clips than you can shake a stick at. He was a free trader,” said Ford. “He hated tariffs, by the way, and all you have to do is look at the clips.”
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute posted on social media last week that “the ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”
The institute added that it “is reviewing its legal options in this matter.”
Ford is expected to speak with ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN on Monday evening.
NDP leader says Ford ‘screwed up’
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the premier “screwed up” with his campaign.
“His job is to be representing Ontario and saving the jobs we have right now,” Stiles told reporters at Queen’s Park Monday. “He’s so focused on these big flashy ads that boost his ego and not on the actual issues that we’re facing here.”
Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser also questioned Ford’s intentions with the ad, calling it a “thoughtless” decision.
“What was he thinking? What was the outcome supposed to be?” Fraser said Monday. “The premier should stay in his lane.”
