Is the Ronald Reagan tariffs video fake? Viral Trump Canada false advertisement claim debunked

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan has posthumously become embroiled in the tariff war between the current President - Donald Trump - and Canada. In particular, a speech attributed to Reagan is fuelling intense speculation after Trump claimed that a Canadian politician posted an advertisement containing a fake video of Reagan.

The video in which Ronald Reagan is speaking about trade tariffs is not fake. As per Time Magazine, the speech containing in the video has been taken from an address by the late President made on April 25, 1987, called the ‘Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade.’ 

The advertisement was shared by the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, who wrote on X that it would be running in the U.S.

The ad directly targets tariffs imposed by President Trump on Canadian imports. In the ad, President Reagan’s voiceover says,

“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works—but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.”

In the video, Reagan goes on to say that the way towards prosperity, including the growth of America, is by supporting “fair and free competition.”

It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.

Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.

Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025

Donald Trump retaliated to the advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan’s words

In his reaction to the advertisement posted by Ontario’s Premier, Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to decry the video. While claiming that the video was fake, Trump wrote,

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”

While insisting on his policy of imposing tariffs on trade partners, Trump said that he was pulling out of ongoing negotiations with the Canadian governement, and added,

“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

Trump had also posted a statement released by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, in which it wrote that the video released by Canada misrepresented President Reagan’s words.

The Institute stated,

“The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute learned that the Government of Ontario, Canada, created an ad campaign using selective audio and video of President Ronald Reagan delivering his "Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade," dated April 25, 1987. The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks.”

Additionally, the Institute also said that it is exploring legal recourse in the matter.

Netizens, however, were quick to point out that the full video of President Reagan’s address matched the portions used by the Canadian ad. While slamming Trump’s claims, a netizen wrote on X:

“Reagan Library uploaded the full speech Ronald Reagan made on YouTube a long time ago. This is part of the very real speech Reagan made. Canada should sue Trump. Donald Trump is a lair. Lied about the East Wing, Jan 6, Epstein Files, never Trust Trump.”

Another internet user provided his own opinion on the situation, and remarked,

“If Joffrey Baratheon grew up to be an American president, this is pretty much what it would look like.”

If Joffrey Baratheon grew up to be an American president, this is pretty much what it would look like. pic.twitter.com/VxV3MqDzlg

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 24, 2025

A netizen contested Trump’s claims calling the video fake, and wrote,

“Trump posted on Truth Social that the video of Ronald Reagan stating tariffs are bad is fake. However, the Reagan Library uploaded the video 8 years ago on YouTube.”

Another netizen highlighted the fact that Reagan’s warning about tariffs was now being viewed on the internet, and wrote,

“Bravo Trump, now all Americans will be watching all Ronald Reagan speeches on trade and economy and his warning about tarrifs.”

Pointing to the speech made by Reagan, another netizen posted a clip of the late President, and wrote:

“Where is the lie.”

Echoing the sentiment, another social media user added,

“But it wasn’t fake. The full audio is available for anyone to listen to.”

In wake of the to and fro regarding Ronald Reagan’s old speech, it remains to be seen if Donald Trump will take any further action, including if he decides to resume negotiations with Canada.