This is just embarrassing.
1) The Ontario ad does not misrepresent President Reagan’s anti-tariff radio address in any respect whatsoever. It is a direct replay of his radio address, formatted for a one minute ad.
Everything that Reagan said in his pro free trade April, 1987 radio message is consistent with the ad. In fact, everything he ever said about trade, before and after becoming President, is consistent with his principled opposition to tariffs. Look all the way back to his GE radio editorials in the 1960s, or consult the book “Reagan, In His Own Hand,” to see the consistency of his anti-protectionist arguments.
2) The Reagan Foundation does not own copyright on the public domain statements of a President uttered 40 years ago, and disseminated by the White House. To suggest that open, public Presidential statements, produced at public expense, are somehow subject to copyright limitations is laughably ridiculous.
3) The @RonaldReagan Foundation knows these things. They know perfectly well that the Ontario ad captures precisely President Reagan’s opposition to tariffs, and support for free trade. But it is obvious that the Foundation now has gormless leadership which is easily intimidated by a call from the White House, yet another sign of the hugely corrosive influence of Trump on the American conservative movement.
For shame.
Oct 24, 2025 · 5:05 AM UTC
