Ford’s anti-tariff ad leaves bruise

Say what you will about Ontario Premier Doug Ford — he knows how to get under a fellow populist’s skin.

Ford succeeded in irritating U.S. President Donald Trump with his decision to run a TV ad critical of Trump’s tariff scheme, utilizing old footage of former president Ronald Reagan to make the point that the late president — still greatly admired among many Americans — would not have approved of Trump’s methods.

Reaction to the ad among Trump and his supporters was swift and furious. MAGA acolytes denounced it, claiming it skewed Reagan’s words, while Trump claimed the ad was AI-generated (it was not). He immediately threatened to impose an extra 10 per cent in tariffs on Canada, “over and above” what he has previously laid out.

The clips of Reagan, pulled from a 1987 speech, are authentic, although a case can be made they did not include the full context of Reagan’s words regarding the U.S.’s trading relationship with Japan — the subject of the comments — at the time of the speech.

It’s a thin argument. A TV ad cannot contain the entirety of the speech, given the time constraints on such ads.

Ford has declared the ad a success, claiming the TV spot has been viewed a billion times as of earlier this week, with viewers from as far away as the U.K. and India. He explained in a letter to the Wall Street Journal that his government ran the ad because “we all benefit from being reminded of (Reagan’s) wisdom,” making an appeal to Americans themselves, rather than spending the letter swinging at Trump himself.

One may question the wisdom of Ford’s move, as it clearly infuriated a volatile American president at a time where Canada-U.S. relations are poor. However, we should keep in mind just who we are dealing with.

Trump is a highly reactionary leader who tends to respond positively only to total genuflection. He is not interested in arguments, especially from leaders and nations he believes are the U.S.’s lessers. The reality is, whatever fire the ad may have lit is destined to blow out quickly. Ford had something to gain by running the ad — reminding Americans about the folly of Trump’s tariff scheme — and very little to lose.

The list of things one can do to keep Trump happy and keep negotiations stable is very short — give him exactly what he wants, all the time.

The list of things you can do to make him take his ball and go home is very long. However, Trump’s volatility works against him, because he often speaks rashly without an awareness of what it is he can actually do in response to provocation. This, plus the reality that he is making many enemies, real and perceived, and so is assailed from many angles at once, means he is unlikely to keep his focus on any one of them for too long.

Even in the short-term aftermath of Ford’s ad, Trump was already hedging on whether or not his punishing extra tariffs would come into effect: “I don’t know when it’s going to kick in, and we’ll see, but I don’t really want to discuss it,” he said Monday. That indecisiveness bodes pretty well for future meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has proven able to keep Trump’s temper at a low simmer.

Trump is already beginning to forget about it. But Americans have received a potent reminder of the damage Trump is doing to a long and prosperous international relationship.

Ford is unlikely to go down in history as a widely beloved Canadian leader, but credit where it’s due. He understands his target, threw a punch that landed and left a bruise for the world to see.