‘Canadians have been very difficult…’

White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett (Image credit: Reuters)

On Friday, U.S. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said President Donald Trump was “very frustrated” with Canada over stalled trade talks, attributing the stalemate to a lack of flexibility from Ottawa and the lingering effects of the previous Trudeau administration, just hours after Trump abruptly ended all talks, citing a provocative Canadian ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan.

Washington’s decision to negotiate separately with Mexico reflects broader challenges, not a single disagreement, Hassett said. “I’ve been involved in some of these negotiations, and it’s been very difficult to negotiate with the Canadians. If you look at all the countries we have agreements with around the world. The fact that we’re currently negotiating separately with Mexico shows that this isn’t just about advertising. There’s a frustration that’s emerging,” Hassett said. “I guess the lack of flexibility and also the residual behavior from the Trudeau people can be very frustrating for people who are negotiating,” he added.

The senior economic adviser’s remarks came after Trump declared the end of all trade talks with Canada on Thursday evening, referencing an anti-tariff ad on Truth Social that used a clip of former President Ronald Reagan.

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation announced that Canada fraudulently used a FAKE ad showing Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. The ad was $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decisions of the US Supreme Court and other courts,” Trump wrote in his post. he said.

“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND ECONOMY OF THE USA. Due to their grave behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA HAVE BEEN TERMINATED. Thank you for your interest in this matter! President DJT,” he added.

The controversial ads, reportedly paid for by the Ontario government, are airing on major US networks and cost $75 million. This came weeks after Trump and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed trade, border security and ongoing negotiations between the two neighboring countries on Oct. 7, setting the stage for an abrupt end to the talks.

Addressing reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described trade talks as “complex, perhaps more complex than any other agreement we’ve had on trade.” He explained that the complexity stems from both rivalry and closeness between the two countries, describing it as a mixture of “natural conflict” and “mutual affection”.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI.