Overview
- Prime Minister Mark Carney said he apologized in person to President Donald Trump over Ontario’s Reagan-themed anti-tariff ad during APEC meetings in South Korea.
- Trump acknowledged and appreciated the apology yet said negotiations to lift tariffs would not resume, after previously halting talks over the ad.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the Ontario campaign the equivalent of election interference in a CNN interview and labeled it unacceptable.
- Ontario’s government spent about $75 million to air the spot using edited excerpts of Ronald Reagan, which the Reagan Foundation said misrepresented the speech as it reviews legal options.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford disputed Carney’s account of their conversations, vowed he would never apologize to Trump, and said the ad was only paused after running for several more days.