"Mission accomplished": Ontario premier defends ad that triggered Trump

• Ford has been a vocal Trump critic for years, often slamming his tariff policies and the broader trade war.

Driving the news: Ford told reporters Monday he decided to pull the ad after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom he said was aware of the campaign before it aired, in a bid to resume trade talks with the U.S.

• Ford said he spoke with "almost every single premier" in Canada and that they were in full support of the ad.
• "Mission accomplished," Ford said. "They're talking about it in the U.S., and they weren't talking about it before I put the ad on."
• Ontario's goal is to make sure that get a fair deal, according to Ford. "Not a one-sided Donald Trump deal, but a fair deal for the people of Ontario and Canada," he added.

What they're say: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute said Thursday evening the ad "misrepresents" Reagan's speech and Ontario's government "did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks."

Thought bubble, via Axios' Ben Berkowitz: Ford's ad enraged Trump, but his administration never seemed to fully embrace the president's threats to raise tariffs another 10 percentage points.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, traveling with Trump in Asia, said over the weekend he wasn't focused on retaliation against Canada, and that the whole matter was "second fiddle" to deals with China and others.
• With most Canadian exports exempt from tariffs under the USMCA trade deal, the extra threat wouldn't have had the same impact it might have against other countries.