Dem
47
GOP
53
Surely, everyone reading this has heard the advice to "be the adult in the room." Well, Donald Trump hasn't, and he provided yet another reminder of that yesterday.
There's been a bit of reporting this week that the White House is getting cold feet about the batsh** crazy tariffs, and is looking for opportunities to reverse course. We would link to that reporting, but it was mostly in The Wall Street Journal, and their paywall puts the Great Wall of China to shame. In a development that is surely related, the administration has been quietly working on a new trade deal with Canada. Based on information gathered from insiders, The Globe and Mail reported that a deal was all-but done, and an announcement was imminent (that story, we can link to, because the Canadians are wild-eyed tree-hugging maple-syrup-eating commie pinkos, and not god-fearing patriotic capitalists, like Rupert Murdoch is). After that story was published, PM Mark Carney warned everyone not to get ahead of themselves. Looks like he was right about that.
You see, there aren't too many Canadian politicians who oppose Trump's trade war more vocally than Premier of Ontario Doug Ford. Yes, he's a conservative, but Canadian conservative, so maybe his hostility is genuine. Or, maybe he's noticed that Toronto is the financial capital of Canada, and that his voters stand to lose the most from a trade war. Or, maybe he's angling for bigger and better things, like succeeding Carney when the opportunity presents itself (yes, we understand he has to be elected to Parliament first).
Whatever Ford's motivation is, the government of Ontario has been running a commercial this week—in Ontario—that features Ronald Reagan talking about the evils of tariffs and trade wars. Here it is if you care to watch it:
If you don't want to watch, here's a transcript:
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. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse. Businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs. 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. America's jobs and growth are at stake.
This is not an AI creation; it's a real Reagan speech from 1987. And while the Gipper's remarks were edited down for purposes of the commercial, the remaining portion certainly conveys the essence of what he said. It was a staunchly anti-protectionist speech, which makes sense, because Reagan, and the GOP of the 1980s, were staunchly anti-protectionist.
Somehow, Trump became aware of the commercial, and he pitched a fit on his loony-loving-but-loonie-hating social media platform:
The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT
It is true that the Reagan Foundation announced that the Canadians were not granted permission to use that audio. It is similarly true that the Foundation claimed the ad misrepresented St. Ronnie's words. We don't know what the Foundation's motivation is, or why it makes that claim. If readers wish to read the original speech for themselves, it's here. Again, there can be no question it's anti-protectionist. And, by the way, the Foundation did not claim that the audio was fake, as it most certainly is not.
Since Carney HAS heard the thing about being the adult in the room, and since he places the well-being of his fellow citizens over his own ego, we presume he will do what Volodymyr Zelenskyy did, ignore the hissy fit, and find a way to smooth this over. But we bet he wishes he was dealing with a normal national leader, like he does when he talks with France, or the U.K., or Mexico, or China. (Z)