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“President Donald Trump pulled out of trade talks with Canada [last] Thursday night, furious over what he called a ‘fake’ television ad from Ontario’s provincial government that quoted former U.S. President Ronald Reagan from 38 years ago criticizing tariffs.” AP News
“President Trump announced Saturday that he is raising U.S. tariffs on Canada by an additional 10% in response to the continued airing of [the] anti-tariff advertisement… The move comes even though Ontario's leader said the ad would be halted beginning Monday.” CBS News
The left is critical of the decision to impose tariffs.
“The White House notes that Reagan defended imposing tariffs on Japanese semiconductors during his April 25, 1987, radio address. But listen to the whole thing, and the 40th president clearly explains why this was an isolated move to address a particular problem — not the kind of broad-based tariffs Trump now embraces…
“Perhaps the most disappointing element of this episode is that the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute released a statement that said the ad ‘misrepresents’ Reagan’s speech with ‘selective’ edits. While the clips are edited and excerpted, the message is the same: Trade barriers hurt American workers and consumers. Reagan’s legacy as a free-trader should be a point of pride for the organization charged with keeping his flame burning…
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his negotiators will restart talks ‘when the Americans are ready,’ but he also said he is making plans to double exports to other countries. Nothing is ever final in a negotiation with Trump, but America’s unreliability on trade has plenty of other friendly countries looking elsewhere — exactly the sort of problem Reagan sought to avoid.”
Editorial Board, Washington Post
“Trump’s claimed authority [to impose tariffs] comes from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA… After declaring a national emergency, the president can take a wide range of actions on foreign trade, investment, currency exchanges, and so on… [Raising tariffs] because a provincial government ran a commercial during the World Series that embarrassed the president is not a national emergency…
“If it is willing to do so, the Supreme Court could easily end the tariff madness… The justices could hold that the power to ‘regulate importations’ does not extend to tariffs, which are a core Article 1 power for Congress. The court could apply the ‘major questions’ doctrine, which holds that Congress must ‘speak clearly’ when writing laws of ‘vast economic and political significance,’ to rule that IEEPA does not allow presidents to impose trillions of dollars in tariffs on any country for any reason at all.”
Matt Ford, New Republic
“Let’s not miss the forest for the trees: An increasingly erratic president just unilaterally imposed economic penalties on one of the United States’ closest allies and key trading partners because a television commercial — which was accurate and is no longer airing — hurt his feelings… Trump spent much of the year arguing that Canada should abandon its national status and become part of the U.S. If there’s going to be a conversation about ‘interfering’ in ‘sovereign matters,’ it’s hardly unreasonable to argue that Ottawa enjoys the high ground.”
Steve Benen, MSNBC
The right is divided.
The right is divided.
“The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute was right to say that the Canadian ad uses selective quotation to misrepresent Reagan’s speech. In fact, on that morning in the spring of 1987, President Reagan warned of trade wars while announcing duties on Japanese semiconductors. ‘We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements,’ he stated. ‘As I’ve often said: Our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade.’ Ontario left out that part…
“But Trump was selective as well. He exaggerates when he writes that Reagan ‘LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY’ and ‘LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy.’ Not quite… The import quotas and export controls that Reagan imposed throughout the 1980s were done reluctantly and with regret.”
Matthew Continetti, Free Press
“Reagan knew that tariffs are taxes, while Mr. Trump pretends they are paid by foreigners. Reagan knew protectionist barriers over time breed complacency and lack of innovation. Mr. Trump thinks he’s making American manufacturing great again, when he is really hurting U.S. manufacturers by burdening them with higher costs. See American companies that use aluminum or steel…
“Mr. Trump has been fortunate that his tariffs haven’t triggered much retaliation, which has spared us from a global trade war. But the tariffs are doing economic damage by raising costs for consumers and businesses and by dampening animal spirits that should be soaring with his tax bill and deregulation. He can boast about tariffs all he wants, but he shouldn’t get away with taking Reagan’s trade beliefs in vain.”
Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
“The Ontario government decided to poke the bear and irritate Trump in the middle of important trade negotiations. That was pretty moronic… Ford heavily contributed to this situation. The Ontario premier originally employed a tough but reasonable approach in dealing with the Trump White House when the tariff battle started, but he’s gone off the rails as of late. Why? He knows that many Ontarians (and Canadians) are frustrated with Trump’s tariffs and leadership, so he thinks that it’s to his political benefit…
“Guess what? It backfired. The Ontario ad was quickly pulled after Trump pushed back. While some political experts and Ontario ministers were quite pleased with the response and publicity, the PM was seemingly not among them. ‘There were a series of very detailed, very specific, very comprehensive discussions… up until the point of those ads running,’ Carney told reporters at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia. What a mess that the Ontario government has made.”
Michael Taube, Spectator World
“Reagan did impose tariffs and import quotas on certain products during his term, but it seems like a stretch to say he ‘loved tariffs’ considering how warmly he spoke of free trade. In fact, in the radio address which the Ontario ad excerpted, Reagan said that even though he had placed 100 percent duties on electronics from Japan, ‘imposing such tariffs or trade barriers and restrictions of any kind are steps that I am loath to take.’…
“Even if the ad were completely false, of course, it would be ridiculous to respond to it by hiking duties on Canadian imports and thus raising prices for Americans. But since Trump found the ad personally insulting, he did exactly that… As the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about whether Trump's actions are constitutional, this scenario perfectly illustrates why a president should not have this power.”
Joe Lancaster, Reason
