Baseball and politics collide with Trump, Ford and Reagan...

But was it the ad or was it a Trudeau hangover, a Trump insider speaks out.

I’ve got a bit to say about baseball, and lots to say about the ad and if you read to the end, a special event for subscribers.

The two things that have been occupying most of my time over the past while - politics and baseball - collided this week. You’ve all heard of Doug Ford’s ad campaign in the United States featuring Ronald Reagan, well it was playing last night during the World Series as the Blue Jays thumped the Dodgers 11-4.

Back to the ad in a moment, but first a few words about this Blue Jays team.

They are playing phenomenal baseball and this city, yes I live in Toronto don’t hate me for it, is coming alive. There is a buzz across Toronto, perhaps it has spread to where you live as well.

This team has gelled, they’re having fun, they’re tight. As you can see in this clip where Davis Schneider is talking about Addison Barger sleeping on his couch, you can tell they are a bunch of young guys having a blast.

I can’t stop laughing at this, and of course Barger hit his grand slam after sleeping on that pull out couch.

Then there is the youthful enthusiasm of Trey Yesavage who at just 22 started game one of the World Series. He’s making just $57,000 per year and struck out Shohei Ohtani, perhaps the best player to ever play the game and who recently signed a contract worth $700 million.

This kid started the year in Class A ball, the second lowest level of the minor leagues.

Let’s hope the Jays keep winning! Go Jays Go!

Now, back to politics…

Everyone has an opinion on that ad that Doug Ford’s government was airing in the United States and we know one guy - Donald Trump - really doesn’t like it.

Is that because it was working?

Maybe, and I’ll talk about that in a moment, but let’s get some facts down first.

Despite what the Ronald Reagan Foundation may say, there was no need to seek permission to use the audio or video of Reagan. It was a presidential radio address from April 25, 1987 and was produced and distributed by the White House. Under American law, any creative endeavour that is produced by an federal civil servant as part of their work duties is automatically public domain and free to use.

As for the claim that the ad misrepresented Reagan’s position on tariffs, that is simply false.

Reagan’s record on tariffs is clear, he used them at times but was generally opposed to them and spoke out against them for decades. To claim as Trump is now doing that Reagan loved tariffs ignores that historical record.

In the full five minute radio address, Reagan explained why he was imposing tariffs on Japanese semi-conductors even though he didn’t like tariffs. He explained why he didn’t like using tariffs, spoke of his discussion with Brian Mulroney on that point and said he hoped to lift the tariffs on Japan.

Those are the facts about the ad, whether it was a smart move to run the ad is another matter.

Being right doesn’t always matter in politics…

You can be right on an issue and it can still cause you no end of political headaches. Ask Pierre Poilievre who was right in saying the RCMP failed on SNC-Lavalin but still took a hit politically.

It’s the same with Doug Ford, his ad is accurate - yes it was edited down from five minutes to one minute - but it didn’t change the essence of Reagan’s message. That doesn’t mean it was a good idea for Ford to run the ad, it has clearly angered Trump who has now cancelled all trade talks with Canada.

Though as I will explain in a moment, the ad may be an excuse or a tipping point but not the sole reason.

I’ve been speaking a lot of smart political people about this over the past few days, and I talk extensively with Lorne Gunter and Chris Selley in the Full Comment Podcast episode that comes out Monday.

Warren Kinsella put forward the idea that Trump got upset at the ad because it was working, putting the idea that tariffs are bad in the minds of voters. By the way, Ben Shapiro delivered that same message to his audience of millions after his appearance with Danielle Smith, and Joe Rogan whose audience loves Trump has said the same thing - I believe he also played the Reagan clip.

Maybe it was finding an audience.

Another friend suggested that the ad angered Trump because it exposes a fault line in the Republicans - traditional Reagan like Republicans don’t like tariffs and he does - showing that made him angry.

I’m not sure where I land at this point, I’ve written in the Sun that the ad failed because Trump cancelled all negotiations. We will have to see what happens in coming days to know the real impact of all of this.

Canada as a bad trading partner…

India called us out recently as a bad trading partner and the Americans would clearly agree with us. So would Britain, France, Italy, Ireland and many other countries that take issue with our policies.

The idea that Trump cancelled the talks just over this Ontario ad featuring Reagan though doesn’t quite sit right and in his comments to reporters on Friday, Kevin Hassett, Trump’s National Economic Council Director, said so.

When I was on the panel on the future of Canada-U.S. relations last week at the Banff Forum, I delivered a message that won’t be popular with many Canadians - that we are often bad trading partners and too often are our own worst enemy.

Kevin Hassett isn’t anti-Canadian, he knows the country and is a smart guy. He’s frustrated, and so are many other countries, so when the common denominator is you, it’s time to look in the mirror.

Going behind the scenes with Brian Lilley…

I said recently that I was looking for ways to show my appreciation to everyone for their support, especially paid subscribers. The first event for paid subscribers will take place on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 3pm ET.

That’s when I will host a livestream exclusively for paid subscribers where you can ask me anything.

Well, anything within reason!

Do you want to know what a particular politician is like when the cameras aren’t on, go ahead and ask. Ever wondered what it’s like covering politics as a journalist or seeing behind the scenes, make sure you show up.

While I appear on radio across the country and on TV on a regular basis, I find the questions I get from audience members are much different.

If you are a paid subscriber, you will get full instructions emailed to you tomorrow. If you can’t make it at that time, you will be able to watch the video later.

This will be the first event, but it won’t be the last. Hope you can make it out.