Ontario Accurately Reminds Americans That Reagan Hated Tariffs

King Don’s pretext for terminating all trade negotiations with Canada is an ad that conservative-led Ontario started airing featuring conservative icon Ronald Reagan reminding Americans that tariffs are bad.

King Don blurt-lied that the ad was fake, and the Reagan Foundation said the ad “us[es] selective audio and video” from a 1987 speech and “misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address”.

The Reagan audio is not fake. Ronald Reagan said every word in the ad in his weekly radio address to the nation on April 25, 1987, from Camp David. The ad captions that date at the end.

The Ontario ad misrepresents nothing. The quotes selected for the ad summarize the main idea Reagan conveyed to Americans that April weekend: Tariffs do long-term harm to American workers, consumers, and the economy.

Watch the one-minute video from Ontario:

Read the text of that ad, which consists entirely of words President Reagan spoke in his radio address 38 years ago:

[1] 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.

[2] Over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.

[3] High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.

[4] Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.

[5] Throughout the world there’s a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition.

[6] America’s jobs and growth are at stake [transcription and numerical annotation mine; Government of Ontario, video ad, posted to YouTube by Global News, 2025.10.24].

Now watch and listen to the original five-minute speech from President Reagan… and enjoy listening to a real President not whining or bragging or insulting or rambling or hyperbolizing or lying but delivering a serious, well-organized speech in a calm, meaningful, and inviting tone to actually explain an important policy point:

Also read Reagan’s 1987 anti-tariff text, with the lines used by Ontario bolded and numbered:

My fellow Americans:

Prime Minister Nakasone of Japan will be visiting me here at the White House next week. It’s an important visit, because while I expect to take up our relations with our good friend Japan, which overall remain excellent, recent disagreements between our two countries on the issue of trade will also be high on our agenda.

As perhaps you’ve heard, last week I placed new duties on some Japanese products in response to Japan’s inability to enforce their trade agreement with us on electronic devices called semiconductors. Now, imposing such tariffs or trade barriers and restrictions of any kind are steps that I am loath to take. And in a moment I’ll mention the sound economic reasons for this: that [2] over the long run such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. But the Japanese semiconductors were a special case. We had clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement between Japan and the United States. We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements. As I’ve often said: Our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade.

But you know, in imposing these tariffs we were just trying to deal with a particular problem, not begin a trade war. So, next week I’ll be giving Prime Minister Nakasone this same message: We want to continue to work cooperatively on trade problems and want very much to lift these trade restrictions as soon as evidence permits. We want to do this, because we feel both Japan and the United States have an obligation to promote the prosperity and economic development that only free trade can bring.

Now, that message of free trade is one I conveyed to Canada’s leaders a few weeks ago, and it was warmly received there. Indeed, [5] throughout the world there’s a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition. Now, there are sound historical reasons for this. For those of us who lived through the Great Depression, the memory of the suffering it caused is deep and searing. And today many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period called the Smoot-Hawley tariff greatly deepened the depression and prevented economic recovery.

You see, at first, [1] 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. What eventually occurs is: First, homegrown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets. And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. [3] High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition. So, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidize inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying. [4] Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.

The memory of all this occurring back in the thirties made me determined when I came to Washington to spare the American people the protectionist legislation that destroys prosperity. Now, it hasn’t always been easy. There are those in this Congress, just as there were back in the thirties, who want to go for the quick political advantage, who will risk America’s prosperity for the sake of a short-term appeal to some special interest group, who forget that more than 5 million American jobs are directly tied to the foreign export business and additional millions are tied to imports. Well, I’ve never forgotten those jobs. And on trade issues, by and large, we’ve done well. In certain select cases, like the Japanese semiconductors, we’ve taken steps to stop unfair practices against American products, but we’ve still maintained our basic, long-term commitment to free trade and economic growth.

So, with my meeting with Prime Minister Nakasone and the Venice economic summit coming up, it’s terribly important not to restrict a President’s options in such trade dealings with foreign governments. Unfortunately, some in the Congress are trying to do exactly that. I’ll keep you informed on this dangerous legislation, because it’s just another form of protectionism and I may need your help to stop it. Remember, [6] America’s jobs and growth are at stake.

Until next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you [emphasis and numerical annotation mine, showing lines quoted by Ontario ad and order in which those lines are quoted; President Ronald Reagan, national radio address from Camp David, 1987.04.25].

Put the six lines Ontario used back in their original context and order, and you can see those words still mean the same thing. Ontario is making exactly the point in 2025 that President Reagan made in 1987: tariffs endanger economic prosperity, which depends on fair and free competition.

But King Don hates competition in the marketplace of ideas from his historical predecessor as Republican godhead. King Don hates hearing his childish slogan that “tariffs is the most beautiful word” countered by President Reagan’s reasoned and well-structured economic argument, rooted in history and his own experience of the Great Depression, that tariffs reduce competition, “subsidize inefficiency and poor management”, and make “Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs.”

So rather than address the argument, King Don cries “Fake!” and punishes the people (the province, the entire nation) who made it.

In this ad, Ontario fakes and misrepresents nothing about President Reagan’s stated position on tariffs. President Reagan said tariffs are bad economic policy.

Related Reagan Reading: President Reagan reiterated his anti-tariff, pro-free-trade position in his November 26, 1988, radio address, which he opened by congratulating Canada on reëlecting fellow free-trader Brian Mulroney before going on to offer what can be read as an even more pointed rejection of Trump’s flag-waving view of trade as a zero-sum war:

My fellow Americans:

This week, as we prepared for Thanksgiving, Canada held an important election, and I’m pleased to again send my congratulations to Prime Minister Mulroney. One of the important issues in the Canadian election was trade. And like our own citizens earlier this month, our neighbors have sent a strong message, rejecting protectionism and reaffirming that more trade, not less, is the wave of the future.

Here in America, as we reflect on the many things we have to be grateful for, we should take a moment to recognize that one of the key factors behind our nation’s great prosperity is the open trade policy that allows the American people to freely exchange goods and services with free people around the world. The freedom to trade is not a new issue for America. In 1776 our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, charging the British with a number of offenses, among them, and I quote, “cutting off our trade with all parts of the world,” end quote.

And that same year, a Scottish economist named Adam Smith launched another revolution with a book entitled “The Wealth of Nations,” which exposed for all time the folly of protectionism. Over the past 200 years, not only has the argument against tariffs and trade barriers won nearly universal agreement among economists but it has also proven itself in the real world, where we have seen free-trading nations prosper while protectionist countries fall behind.

America’s most recent experiment with protectionism was a disaster for the working men and women of this country. When Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley tariff in 1930, we were told that it would protect America from foreign competition and save jobs in this country—the same line we hear today. The actual result was the Great Depression, the worst economic catastrophe in our history; one out of four Americans were thrown out of work. Two years later, when I cast my first ballot for President, I voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who opposed protectionism and called for the repeal of that disastrous tariff.

Ever since that time, the American people have stayed true to our heritage by rejecting the siren song of protectionism. In recent years, the trade deficit led some misguided politicians to call for protectionism, warning that otherwise we would lose jobs. But they were wrong again. In fact, the United States not only didn’t lose jobs, we created more jobs than all the countries of Western Europe, Canada, and Japan combined. The record is clear that when America’s total trade has increased, American jobs have also increased. And when our total trade has declined, so have the number of jobs.

Part of the difficulty in accepting the good news about trade is in our words. We too often talk about trade while using the vocabulary of war. In war, for one side to win, the other must lose. But commerce is not warfare. Trade is an economic alliance that benefits both countries. There are no losers, only winners. And trade helps strengthen the free world.

Yet today protectionism is being used by some American politicians as a cheap form of nationalism, a fig leaf for those unwilling to maintain America’s military strength and who lack the resolve to stand up to real enemies—countries that would use violence against us or our allies. Our peaceful trading partners are not our enemies; they are our allies. We should beware of the demagogs who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends — weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world—all while cynically waving the American flag. The expansion of the international economy is not a foreign invasion; it is an American triumph, one we worked hard to achieve, and something central to our vision of a peaceful and prosperous world of freedom.

After the Second World War, America led the way to dismantle trade barriers and create a world trading system that set the stage for decades of unparalleled economic growth. And in one week, when important multilateral trade talks are held in Montreal, we will be in the forefront of efforts to improve this system. We want to open more markets for our products, to see to it that all nations play by the rules, and to seek improvement in such areas as dispute resolution and agriculture. We also want to bring the benefits of free trade to new areas, including services, investment, and the protection of intellectual property. Our negotiators will be working hard for all of us.

Yes, back in 1776, our Founding Fathers believed that free trade was worth fighting for. And we can celebrate their victory because today trade is at the core of the alliance that secure the peace and guarantee our freedom; it is the source of our prosperity and the path to an even brighter future for America.

Until next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you [emphasis mine; President Ronald Reagan, national radio address from Rancho del Cielo, 1988.11.26].

President Reagan also went after protectionism in his March 12, 1988, radio address from Camp David:

My fellow Americans:

I’d like to talk to you today about our nation’s trade policy. I can’t think of a recent economic issue that has generated more heat and less light, yet has more importance to our long-term national interest, than trade.

Throughout the 7 years I’ve been in office, professional doomsayers have latched onto one issue after another as evidence of an American decline. They can’t seem to acknowledge the obvious good news that surrounds us — the low inflation, the over 15 million new jobs since November 1982, and the longest peacetime economic expansion of the century. Trade is only the most recent subject of lamentation by our critics. For them, our trade deficit is an excuse for getting the Government more involved in private business decisions. They say that Americans can’t compete with foreign workers, so we should slow imports by erecting protectionist trade barriers. As usual, the doom merchants are wrong. The United States economy remains the most dynamic and exciting one on the globe. Our entrepreneurs, our can-do spirit, and our economic freedom are the envy of the world. The pessimism used to justify protectionism is totally unfounded.

Let’s clear up a few myths. First, the trade situation is improving far more quickly than people realize. Economists may disagree on the impact of the trade imbalance, but there is no disagreement that there has been a remarkable turnaround in the real trade deficit. Since the third quarter of 1986, the merchandise trade deficit in real terms has declined 18 percent. And over the past 15 months, the volume of exports has grown over 4 times as fast as the volume of imports. Clearly, we are in an export boom. American industries, particularly manufacturers, are setting records. Unfortunately, there’s a threat to all this good news. I’m talking about the trade bill pending in Congress. Adopting protectionist measures and starting trade wars now would be like closing the barn door just as the horse is trying to get back in. The best way to keep our exports growing is to keep international trade expanding. And that brings me to another myth: that Congress can pass a law that will reduce the trade deficit without destroying our prosperity. Legislation can reduce a trade deficit only if it reduces economic activity. If people are not working, they’re not trading. We had a trade surplus and 25-percent unemployment in the Great Depression.

A protectionist trade bill is a serious threat to our export boom. It’s a serious threat to the millions of American jobs that depend upon international trade. It is filled with scores of provisions that are protectionist and defeatist. My veto pen is ready if the final bill remains antitrade, anticonsumer, antijobs, and antigrowth. However, the administration is willing to work diligently with Congress to produce a bill that would increase our international competitiveness and complement our efforts to promote trade, exports, jobs, and productivity, not stymie them.

All those working on the bill should take a deep breath, take another look at the trade outlook, and work together in a constructive spirit. It is still possible to write a bill that I can sign. Indeed, I’m encouraged by reports on the status of the trade bill negotiations. The conference committee working on the final draft of the bill has already eliminated a number of troublesome provisions, including illegal quotas, budget-busting giveaways, and protectionist measures. Many objectionable provisions remain, including proposed procedural changes in the law, but I’m hopeful that in the next phase these will be jettisoned. Only wholesale elimination of many of the existing items will produce a bill I can sign.

Regardless of whether I sign trade legislation this year, we will continue our free and fair approach to trade policy. We will challenge unfair trade practices of other countries in order to achieve a level playing field for American industries. We will negotiate to knock down trade barriers on a bilateral or multilateral basis. In that regard, we will seek early enactment of the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement and push for concrete progress in the upcoming Uruguay round of trade negotiations. Finally, we will continue to coordinate economic policies with our major trading partners, thereby helping to maintain a favorable international climate for trade expansion.

America’s open market is its great strength, not its weakness. International trade has helped bring unparalleled prosperity to the American people. It would be a tragic mistake to surrender to doubt and defeatism just when our prospects are looking so bright. I have confidence in America, and I’m sure you do too.

Until next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you [President Ronald Reagan, national radio address from Camp David, 1987.03.12].

President Reagan dedicated lots of his weekly radio addresses to free and fair trade. Here’s another speech on that theme, from August 31, 1985 (about which I’m sure King Don’s only response would be to kvetch about Reagan’s t-shirt), in which President Reagan explains with historical evidence why he rejected tariffs on foreign shoes:

My fellow Americans:

Last Wednesday I notified Congress of my decision not to impose either quotas or tariffs on foreign shoe imports into this country. I’d like to talk with you about that decision because the case of shoe imports illustrates why so-called protectionism is almost always self-destructive, doing more harm than good even to those it’s supposed to be helping.

Advocates of protectionism often ignore its huge hidden costs that far outweigh any temporary benefits. The Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the quotas on shoe imports that I turned down would have cost the American consumer nearly $3 billion, and there are other costs. Quotas would have entitled our trading partners to another $2 billion in compensation, or they would have retaliated, slapping quotas or tariffs on the products we sell to them. That would mean an immediate loss of American jobs and a dangerous step down the road to a trade war. Also, if our trading partners can’t sell their products here, they can’t afford to buy our exports and that means more lost jobs for Americans.

Protectionism almost always ends up making the protected industry weaker and less able to compete against foreign imports. Between 1977 and 1981, U.S. footwear manufacturers received protection from foreign imports, but at the end of that time they were more vulnerable to foreign competition than before. Instead of protectionism, we should call it destructionism. It destroys jobs, weakens our industries, harms exports, costs billions of dollars to consumers, and damages our overall economy.

Of course, free trade also means fair trade. We will move vigorously against unfair trading practices, using every legal recourse available to give American manufacturers a fair shake at home and open markets abroad. The balance of trade has become a very emotional issue; some claim our trade deficit has cost us millions of jobs. Congress is awash in bills calling for trade sanctions and retaliation. But look at the facts: In 1980 we had a trade surplus, and about 99 million Americans had jobs. Today we have a trade deficit, and almost 107 million Americans are working. Despite a growing trade deficit, we’ve gained over 71/2 million new jobs since 1980. Our free, open, and growing economy has put more Americans to work in 1985 than ever before in our history. We’ve created more jobs in the last 3 years than Europe and Japan combined.

The surest way to destroy those jobs and throw Americans out of work is to start a trade war. And one of the first victims of a protectionist trade war will be America’s farmers, who have it tough enough already. A news story the other day said protectionist fervor on the Hill is stronger than it has been since the 1930’s. Well now, some of us remember the 1930’s, when the most destructive trade bill in history, the Smoot-Hawley tariff act, helped plunge this nation and the world into a decade of depression and despair. From now on, if the ghost of Smoot-Hawley rears its ugly head in Congress, if Congress crafts a depression-making bill, I’ll fight it. And whether it’s tax, trade, or farm legislation that comes across my desk, my primary consideration will be whether it is in the long-run economic interest of the United States. And any tax hike or spending bill or protectionist legislation that doesn’t meet the test of whether it advances America’s prosperity must and will be opposed.

America is getting stronger, not weaker. Our 23-percent tax rate cuts have given us 2 1/2 years of economic expansion, a dramatic increase in after-tax personal income, and the most dramatic drop in poverty in 10 years. We must not retreat into the failed policies of the past, whether they be protectionism or higher taxes. Let’s go forward by cutting income tax rates again and building opportunity. On Monday we’ll be recognizing America’s working men and women. We’ve created over 7 million jobs in the last 4 1/2 years. On this Labor Day, let’s challenge ourselves to create 10 million more in the next four. To do that, we’re going to have to be courageous, hopeful, hard working, and proud, which pretty well sums up what it means to be an American. There is one quality I left out: faith in the loving God who will continue to guide us on the optimistic course we’ve set.

Enjoy your Labor Day holiday. Until next week then, thanks for listening, and God bless you [emphasis mine; President Ronald Reagan, national radio address from Rancho del Cielo, 1985.08.31].

p.s.: Defending free trade and global cooperation, speaking rationally… hey, here are a couple more videos of Ronald Reagan doing something else Donald Trump has never done: real physical labor: