Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that a Canadian anti-tariff ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan is akin to “election interference.”
Bessent appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he was asked about the controversial advertisement, which upset President Donald Trump and further escalated trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. Bessent panned the ad and took a dig at the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a nail-biter the night before.
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“This was very serious. The prime minister of Ontario, who I imagine is smarting quite a bit from the Blue Jays’ loss last night, spent, I heard, $75 million broadcasting across the U.S. border, trying to sway public opinion,” Bessent said.
“Now, if we’re upset about what happens during foreign interference in our elections, this is foreign interference in U.S. public policy, and I agree with President Trump 100%, a price has got to be paid for this,” the treasury secretary continued.
The ad in question, paid for by the Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government, featured Reagan denouncing tariffs during a speech. Trump and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation have said that the ad misrepresented the former president’s views.
In a separate appearance on CNN on Sunday, Bessent also likened the ad to “propaganda.” The advertisement aired during the seven-game World Series.
In a social media post from last month, Trump called the ad “fake” and announced that tariff negotiations with Canada were canceled.
“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.,” Trump wrote.
On Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he apologized to Trump for the ad. The two countries have been at odds over Trump’s aggressive tariff policies.
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“I told him that for Canadians, it was time to speak, to discuss, to negotiate with the Americans,” Carney said of the incident, “Mr. Ford has made a decision, he is independent, he can do it. But it’s not exactly useful.”
Since the row began, the Reagan ad has been pulled from the air. Still, a recent survey found that a majority of Canadians agree with the government of Ontario running the ad.
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