Canadians take to social media to debate their prime minister's apology to Trump over anti-tariffs ad [View all]

Source: Business Insider

Nov 1, 2025, 5:59 PM ET


Ontario's premier didn't apologize for airing an anti-tariffs ad that angered President Donald Trump — but Canada's prime minister did. Now, Canadians are using social media to process the awkward situation. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Saturday that he had privately apologized to Trump on Wednesday over an Ontario-produced ad featuring remarks from the late President Ronald Reagan, who discussed tariffs in a 1987 speech. The ad, which was posted online and aired during early games of the World Series matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, angered Trump and led him to call off US trade talks with Canada.

"I did apologize to the president," Carney told reporters on Saturday, adding that Trump was "offended" by the ad. "It's not something I would have done, which is to put in place that advertisement, and so I apologized to him." "I'm the one who's responsible, in my role as prime minister, for the relationship with the president of the United States," Carney added. "And the federal government is responsible for the foreign relationship with the US government. So things happen. We take the good with the bad, and I apologized to him."

Carney also said he previously advised Ontario Premier Doug Ford not to move forward with the ad after viewing it. Ford, who eventually pulled the ad, said it was "the best ad that ever ran" and "achieved our goal, to make sure that conversation starts with the American people, and with their elected officials." Representatives for Carney, Ford, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Canadians debate the apology — and the ad — on social media

Many online users who identified as Canadian voiced surprise or dismay that Carney had apologized for the ad, with some saying they had voted for the prime minister in part due to his "elbows up," tough-on-Trump stance.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-prime-minister-carney-apology-trump-tariffs-ad-canadian-reacttion-2025-11