On the evening of Oct. 23, local time, Trump suddenly posted a message on “real social” that directly said he would end all trade talks with Canada.
As a result, many people are embarrassed, not just an advertisement, why do they get to the point of breaking the negotiations?
It turned out that the government of Ontario, Canada, had posted an advertisement using a clip of former President Reagan's speech on "Free and Fair Trade" on April 25, 1987. Trump said that the clip was cut and belonged to "fraud." He also said that Canada did this to interfere with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on tariff issues.
I think Canada this time is a bit of “moving the stone and hitting its own feet.”
Reagan's speech in 1987 was originally intended to promote the negotiation of the U.S. -Canada Free Trade Agreement. The core meaning was that "fair trade depends on mutual respect for rules." As a result, the advertisement may only intercept the part where he "opposes trade protection" and omit the premise of "safeguarding U.S. interests."
This kind of editing method can easily make the audience think that Reagan does not support the current tariff policy. Isn't this right against Trump's gun? After all, Trump has always said that tariffs are important to U.S. security and the economy. This wave of actions by Canada is simply giving others a hand.
Within two days, on October 25th, Trump made another knife on the social platform.
He not only blamed Canada for the “fake” video, but also announced an additional 10% tariff on Canada in response to “serious distortions of facts and hostile acts.”
Trump also attached the Reagan Foundation statement to the post, the foundation made it clear that Canada has neither greeted nor authorized the image of Reagan, and is now considering whether to go to legal proceedings.
Reagan Video: Not just a copyright dispute, but also the "origin" of the tariff game
The Reagan Foundation has strictly protected Reagan’s image and copyright.
Previously, in 2020, a political group indiscriminately used images of car roots for publicity, and the foundation directly came forward to defend its rights. In the end, the other party had to remove the content from the shelves.
This time Canada has touched this red line, and the foundation will definitely not forget it easily.
From a legal point of view, this is not only so simple as "unlawful", but also may involve "image abuse", after all, Reagan is the former president of the United States, his speech content has been altered, in general, may also affect the public's judgment of historical figures.
The copyright dispute is only superficial, and the real core is customs.
Trump has repeatedly mentioned Canada's "interference with the Supreme Court's ruling" for no reason.
The U.S. Supreme Court is now dealing with a case involving whether the president can unilaterally raise tariffs on allies.
If Canada could use Reagan’s “free trade” title to make the public feel that tariff policies are unreasonable, it could really influence the judges’ judgment.
Trump's tough counter-measure is actually protecting his tariff power, fearing that Canada's move will disrupt his plan.
The trade gap between the United States and the United States was not a day or two.
Previously, the United States has imposed tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminum, softwood wood, and Canada is not willing to directly counter U.S. agricultural products.
The newly added 10% tariff will most likely cover core products such as auto parts and pork exported by Canada to the United States.
From the perspective of the spectator, Trump's two steps go quite "just", but there is also a bit of adventure.
The annual trade volume between the United States and Canada is there, and Canada is the second largest trading partner of the United States. After the tariff is added, American consumers may have to pay more for car parts and pork. In the end, the money will still come from the pockets of ordinary people. In fact, this account is not so easy to calculate.
Behind the "silence" of Canada: is it really not the case?
Interestingly, in the face of U.S. accusations and tariffs, Canada has so far remained silent.
I thought Canada was pretending, but I found out later that was not the case.
There is a think tank in Canada called the "Canadian Institute of Global Affairs". People inside analyzed that if Canada does not respond, first, it has to verify the details of the advertising clip first. If it speaks without checking it clearly, it will easily be caught by the United States.
Canada's exports to the United States accounted for most of its total exports, if the United States added tariffs, domestic factories and farms were affected, jobs could not beined, this risk nobody dared to take.
What will Canada do after that? There is a high probability that there are two ways: either go to the WTO to complain. Before the United States raised taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum in 2018, Canada did this; Either ask Mexico for help. After all, the three countries signed the USMCA agreement, which contains a dispute settlement mechanism. Mexico and the industrial chain of the United States and Canada are tightly tied, and they definitely don't want to see a stalemate between the United States and Canada.
However, all this has to wait until Canada makes a clear stance, and now we can only wait to see the follow-up.
After all, this dispute between the United States and the United States, looking at the video, is actually a new outbreak of old contradictions.
Trump wants to protect his own tariff policy, and Canada may want to refute it in Reagan's name. As a result, the two sides become more and more stiff, and finally fall to the point of terminating negotiations and increasing tariffs.
There is no doubt that the economies of the two countries are so tightly tied that it is not good for anyone to really tear up their faces. The United States lacks Canadian crude oil, and Canada relies on the American market. It is a "lose-lose" situation.
From this point of view, there is a high probability that we will have to sit down and talk in the end. After all, quarrels cannot solve the problem. If it really affects the lives of ordinary people, no one can explain it.
In fact, if Reagan knew that his speech was being used in this way, he would probably not laugh or cry.
When he promoted free trade between the United States and Canada, he wanted the two countries to do business well, but now it has become the "fuse" of trade disputes.
It can only be said that international trade is too complicated. A small matter can lead to a series of conflicts. In the end, ordinary people will be injured.
I hope that both sides can calm down early and stop increasing each other's fees. Otherwise, if the tariffs are added and added, our own people will still have to pay the bill in the end.