"Frustration has built up over time": US NEC Director Hassett on Trump's decision to terminate Canada trade talks

Washington DC [US], October 24 : US National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Friday said that President Donald Trump was "very frustrated" with Canada over stalled trade negotiations, attributing the impasse to Ottawa's lack of flexibility and lingering influences from the previous Trudeau administration, hours after Trump abruptly terminated all talks, citing a provocative Canadian ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan.

Hassett noted that Washington's decision to negotiate separately with Mexico reflects broader challenges, not just a single dispute.

"I've been involved in some of these negotiations, and the Canadians have been very difficult to negotiate with. If you look at all the countries around the world that we've made deals with. The fact that we're now negotiating with Mexico separately reveals that it's not just about one ad. There's frustration that's built up," Hassett said.

"I guess the lack of flexibility, and also I would guess that leftover behaviours from, like, the Trudeau folks can be very frustrating for people who are negotiating," he added.

The senior economic adviser's remarks came in the wake of Trump's Thursday evening announcement on Truth Social, where he declared the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada, citing an anti-tariff advertisement that used a clip of former President Ronald Reagan.

"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," Trump stated in his post.

"TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behaviour, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT," he added.

The controversial ads, reportedly paid for by the Ontario government, have been running on major US networks and cost USD 75 million. This comes weeks after Trump and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed trade, border security, and ongoing negotiations between the two neighbouring nations on October 7, providing the backdrop to the sudden termination of talks.

Addressing reporters at the Oval Office, Trump described the trade talks as "complicated, more complicated than maybe any other agreement we have on trade."

He explained that the complexity stemmed from both competition and closeness between the two countries, describing it as a mix of "natural conflict" and "mutual love."

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