Sometimes it feels like President Trump is one headline away from dropping a tariff. This weekend’s flare-up with Canada proves the point.

While flying aboard Air Force One to Malaysia, Trump posted on Truth Social that he’s planning to raise tariffs on Canadian goods by another 10%. The reason? A television ad from the province of Ontario that used Ronald Reagan’s old words to criticize Trump’s tariff policy. The ad ran during the World Series — prime time, prime audience — and Trump wasn’t amused. He called it a “fraud” and a “hostile act.”

Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford quickly said he’d pull the ad, but it was too late. Trump had seen it, and the tweet was already airborne, literally.

Why Some Say Trump Was Right

You can’t really understand Trump’s reaction without understanding his philosophy: leverage is everything.

To Trump, tariffs aren’t just taxes. They’re tools. If another country pokes the bear, he growls back in the language they understand best: money. In his view, Ontario’s ad wasn’t harmless political commentary. It was a foreign government using an American icon, Ronald Reagan, to embarrass the sitting U.S. president and weaken his hand ahead of a Supreme Court case on tariff authority.

That’s not a small deal in Trump’s world. He’s built his entire second term around defending domestic industry and rebalancing trade. When someone — even a friendly neighbor — steps on that message, he sees it as a direct challenge.

Supporters would say he’s simply doing what other presidents should have done: standing up for the American worker without worrying about diplomatic niceties. They’ll tell you that Canada depends heavily on U.S. trade (which it does), and Trump knows how to make that fact work in America’s favor.

Why Critics Say It’s an Overreaction

Then again, this is Canada we’re talking about, not China or Russia.

The ad came from a provincial government, not Ottawa, and had zero legal authority over trade. Threatening a 10% tariff because of a TV spot looks more like a temper tantrum than a calculated policy decision.

There’s also a legal cloud hanging over it. Trump’s broad use of tariff powers has been challenged in court before, and the Supreme Court is set to weigh in soon. Announcing a new tariff right before that decision could look, well, politically messy.

And then there’s the economic fallout. Tariffs might make for strong headlines, but they also mean higher prices, not just for Canadians but for Americans buying Canadian goods. Farmers, automakers, and construction industries have already been squeezed by the existing 35% to 50% rates on steel and aluminum. Another 10%? That could sting.

The Message Landed, but the Method Bit Too Hard

Honestly, both sides could’ve handled this one better. Ontario should’ve known that quoting Reagan to mock Trump’s tariff policy during the World Series was like lighting a match near a fireworks stand. But Trump could’ve made his point with a phone call, not a tariff threat. There’s an old bit of wisdom in Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

Instead of diffusing the situation, everyone managed to throw gasoline on it. Trump made his point. No one doubts that he’s serious about defending American trade interests. But a 10% tariff over a 30-second ad might be using a sledgehammer to swat a fly.

At the end of the day, the president won the attention battle, but whether he wins the economic one is another story. Canada will probably pull the ad and move on, but the signal’s been sent: cross Trump on trade, and the price tag could go up fast.

That may be good short-term leverage. But long-term? Even allies get tired of walking on eggshells.