Charlie Angus Responds to Trump Ending Trade Negotiations

Summary

Podcast Summary:

The MeidasTouch Podcast – "Charlie Angus Responds to Trump Ending Trade Negotiations"
October 26, 2025
Host: MeidasTouch Network feat. Charlie Angus, Ron Filipkowski, Ben Meiselas

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, following former President Donald Trump's abrupt termination of all trade negotiations in response to a controversial ad aired by Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, that used Ronald Reagan's anti-tariff speech. The Meiselas brothers are joined by Canadian political figure Charlie Angus, who shares insights from the ground at Vancouver’s busy port, offering both critique and satire on the dramatic unfolding of U.S.–Canada relations.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background to the Trade Conflict

• Trump's Outburst: Donald Trump fueled tensions by accusing Canada of "cheating" after a Reagan-themed anti-tariff ad ran during the World Series, claiming (erroneously) it misrepresented Reagan’s views on tariffs.
• Canada’s Stance: Ontario Premier Doug Ford stands by the ad, emphasizing that it’s historically accurate and meant to spark a productive cross-border conversation on trade policy.

2. The Political Theater Around the Reagan Ad

• Ad Controversy: Trump and his chief economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, assert that the ad distorts Reagan's legacy; Canadian leaders and the MeidasTouch panel maintain it faithfully quotes Reagan's 1987 speech.
  • Doug Ford’s Tactical Response: Ford announces the ad will air during the first two World Series games to maximize visibility, then will be pulled (04:20–05:12).

3. Charlie Angus Responds from Vancouver Port

• On-Location Insight: Angus describes a thriving Port of Vancouver, citing increased shipping and economic resilience amid Trump’s threats (05:12).
  • Quote – Charlie Angus (05:33):
    “They said that they'd break our economy. We've seen a huge increase in shipping. Trade is happening. People are wanting to trade with Canada. So as we say in Canada, bye bye, Mo cowboy. Bye bye.”
• Public Sentiment in Canada: Canadians, initially defensive, are now defiant and using the trade dispute as a pivot to new markets, e.g., Ontario wine entering Norway (07:31).

4. Comparing U.S. and Canadian Political Responses

• Ridicule of Trump’s Leadership: Angus and the hosts draw comparisons to past U.S. presidents and highlight the irony of Trump flipping on Reagan’s well-known free trade stance (09:13).
  • Quote – Charlie Angus (09:29):
    "Ronald Reagan objectively hated tariffs. The whole speech was, I hate tariffs, and only in the most extreme circumstances… tariffs never work."
• Challenge to U.S. Democrats: Canadians wonder why Democrats aren’t running similar ads highlighting Trump’s record. Angus urges more American political action (10:03–11:04).

5. Angus’ Direct Message to Trump and His Team

• Calling Out U.S. Officials: Angus addresses U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, inviting open discussion and poking fun at U.S. diplomatic bluster (11:48).
  • Quote – Charlie Angus (12:15):
    "You've got to be really bad on the world stage when China and authoritarian regime looks like a more trustworthy partner than Donald Trump and MAGA."
• Defiant Canadian Attitude: Angus reaffirms Canada’s preparedness to move forward without a deal and willingness to seek new alliances.

6. The Broader Implications

• Shifting Alliances: The conversation frames Canada as adapting quickly, exploring deeper trade with Europe and China due to U.S. uncertainty (07:17–07:31).
• Mocking Trump’s Tactics: There is frequent, pointed humor about Trump’s impulsiveness and shifting demands.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Ford’s Savvy (Ben, 05:12):
  "You have Prime Minister Carney sort of acting like the sober adult in the room and Doug Ford going and throwing some tables over... This is going to be the most famous ad in World Series history. And it's Donald Trump fighting with the legacy of Ronald Reagan. This is insane."

• On Canadian Resilience (Charlie Angus, 07:31):
  "We're taking advantage of this. What's really concerning to Canadians is the disintegration of the rule of law south of the border..."

• On Historical Irony (Charlie Angus, 09:29):
  "There’s statues of the guy. But to the point is, y’all say you love Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan objectively hated tariffs."

• Pointed Message to Trump (Charlie Angus, 12:15):
  "You gotta be really bad on the world stage when China, an authoritarian regime, looks like a more trustworthy partner with a better record than Donald Trump and MAGA."

• On Democratic Inaction (Charlie Angus, 10:03):
  "Why did we have to spend our taxpayers dollars to show an ad that the Democratic Party should have thought to run in the Super Bowl?"

• Invitation to Dialogue (Charlie Angus, 12:45):
  "Pete Hoekstra, come out of your hiding place... I've asked you to go for a beer with me, Pete, one last time. Let's go for a beer."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ad Controversy and Trump's Outburst: 01:00–04:20
• Doug Ford and Ontario's Response: 04:20–05:12
• Charlie Angus Responds from Vancouver Port: 05:12–07:31
• Impact on Canadian Economy & Trade Diversification: 07:31–08:53
• Reagan Speech and Historical Context: 09:13–10:03
• Challenge to U.S. Democrats: 10:03–11:04
• Direct Message to Trump and Hoekstra: 11:45–13:22
• Closing Remarks about Canadian Resistance: 13:40–14:09

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Tone

The episode maintains the MeidasTouch blend of sharp political critique, humor, and brotherly banter, underscored by Charlie Angus’s dry Canadian wit and resolve. There’s a strong current of satire, exasperation at the volatility of U.S. politics, and a celebration of Canadian spirit and adaptability.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a front-row seat to the latest U.S.–Canada trade drama, demystifies the Reagan ad controversy, and showcases the confidence and solidarity of Canadians in the face of Trump’s provocations. The MeidasTouch Podcast uses humor and insight to break down complex international relations while calling for more assertive democratic action on both sides of the border.

Transcript

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[Dana]

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[Dana]

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[Charlie Angus]

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[Ben]

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[Charlie Angus]

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[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Ron Filipkowski]

Absolutely furious at Donald Trump and his regime.

[Charlie Angus]

And Canada is not backing down. The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford says we're going to continue to run those ads featuring Ronald Reagan's voice throughout the weekend during the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. And he says, look, we wanted this conversation to be had. Let's be very clear. Ronald Reagan was very much against tariffs and he was for free trade. The Republicans in the United States claim they are supportive of Reagan's legacy. And Reagan talked about the importance of a strong free trade relationship between the United States, Canada and the rest of the world. You'll recall that Donald. You'll definitely recall Donald Trump through a temper tantrum on Thursday and then into Friday where he said all trade discussions, negotiations with Canada are hereby over. But Donald Trump posted. He posted. The Ronald Reagan foundation has just announced that Canada fraudulently used an advertisement, which is fake, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs. The ad was for $75,000. Well, Donald was actually for 75 million. And it's word for word Ronald Reagan's address to the country in 1987. And if you want to watch the longer address as well, he's even more anti tariff than could be put into that one minute commercial. So then Donald Trump followed up that message on Thursday night with a very early 4:20am West coast time message on his social media platform, Canada cheated. You cheated Canada and got caught. They fraudulently took a big buy ad. It's a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like tariffs when actually he loved tariffs for our country and and its national security. Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our country. Talking about Ronald Reagan did not like tariffs. Ronald Reagan's whole speech, the speech was called like, in support of free trade. And then Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, responded. Our intention was always to initiate conversations about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses. We've achieved our goal. Having reached US Audiences at the highest level, I've directed my team to keep putting our message in front of the Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercials during the first two World Series games. He says after that, we will take down the commercials, but it will air during the World Series. But responds to Donald Trump throwing a temper tantrum. I want to bring in Charlie Angus, who's literally on the resistance stories in the port or by the port of Vancouver for those watching. You can see the port of Vancouver in the background right there. And you'll see a lot of ships coming by as Charlie's there. You've seen a huge increase of shipping in the port of Vancouver over the past six to nine months. Charlie, I want you to respond to everything that's going on, but I also want you to hear Donald Trump's chief economic advisor, Kevin Hassett. He was asked earlier in the day about all of this and here's what Trump's economic adviser said.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Let's play it.

[Kevin Hassett]

What's going on with Canada? Here is the truth Social posted last night. Canada cheated and got caught. They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did like terrorists and actually he loved tariffs for our country and its national security. I've seen the video going back to the 80s from the presidential library. What's with this latest spat and how far does it go? Well, I don't think that anything that the president truth yesterday is about just, you know, one thing. The fact is that the negotiations with the Canadians have not been very collegial. They've not been going well. I think the president's very frustrated. He wants a great deal with Canada just like he wants a great deal with Mexico.

[Ron Filipkowski]

I want to bring in Charlie Angus, leader of Midas Canada, leader of the resistance or not Very collegial is what they're saying. Charlie, what do you make of it all?

[Ben]

Oh, my God. You know, it's killing me, the fact that I'm now thinking Ronald Reagan was a decent guy and Doug Ford is the smartest politicians I've seen in a long time. Doug Ford is laughing in his man cave today. It's actually kind of funny because you have Prime Minister Carney sort of acting like the sober adult in the room and Doug Ford going and throwing some tables over, and then Doug Ford saying, oh, we'll take the ad down after the first two games of the World Series. This is going to be the most famous ad in World Series history. And it's Donald Trump fighting with the legacy of Ronald Reagan. This is insane. You know, and I think Ben Trump threatened us in January that he was suspending all deals with us. Then it was March, he suspended all trade deals. Then he said if we didn't drop the digital service tax, he was suspending everything. Then he gave us just a month, you know, to come up with a plan. Then he was going to punish us over recognizing Palestine. No Canadian expected that Doug Ford or that Donald Trump was actually going to live up to his word. So when the ad came out, it just seemed what really struck Canadians is like, my God, you're a moron. Like, we knew you were going to pull some kind of stunt, but this is absolutely ridiculous. And, Ben, the reason I'm standing here at the port in Vancouver is they said that they'd break our economy. We've seen a huge increase in shipping. Trade is happening. People are wanting to trade with Canada. So as we say in Canada, bye bye, Mo cowboy. Bye bye.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Well, and you always said, look, Donald Trump meant it when he said he wants Canada to be the 51st state. He wants to figure out a way to take it over the same way Putin wants to take over Ukraine. And what's the expression that Trump always uses about whether it's Taiwan to China or. Or Ukraine to Putin? The apple of my eye. I mean, Canada is with Donald Trump's.

[Charlie Angus]

Apple to his eye.

[Ron Filipkowski]

He wants it conquered. And he's just trying to figure out.

[Charlie Angus]

Ways to harm Canada. And it seems as Canada has figured.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Out ways now to expand its relationships, you know, whether it's with Europe or.

[Charlie Angus]

Even China, Trump's getting so frustrated by that because he wanted to break you all. He wanted to break Canadians.

[Ron Filipkowski]

And you aren't breaking.

[Charlie Angus]

You're. You're leading the resistance. Canada's leading the worldwide boycott and leading the world against Trump.

[Ben]

Well, Ben, wherever I travel, you know, we've Been taking the Midas town halls across Canada. I am seeing such a determination. And it started off, I think people were defensive, they were freaking out. It's like, what are we going to do? These guys are coming up for us, and now people are saying, we're done with them. You know, we saw the absolute collapse of the American spirit market. The wine industry disintegrating 97%. That shows what people power can do. But the upside is, is I was just talking to a winery in Ont, Selling Ontario wines into Norway for the first time. We're taking advantage of this. What's really concerning to Canadians is the disintegration of the rule of law south of the border, the disrespect Donald Trump shows, not just for us, but for his own people. And, you know, I did a Canadian interview today, and they said, well, don't you think it's very on Canadian that we interfered in their country, blah, blah, blah, clutching the pearls? I said, this is a guy who showed a video, an AI video of him dumping diarrhea on his own citizens. This man is not worthy of any office in any land. So the fact that he's freaked out that we showed a video that just had Ronald Reagan speaking shows that he's not trustworthy. People are not going to be expecting him to live up to his word. And it's forcing all nations, whether they wanted to or not, to look elsewhere. And so Canada's looking elsewhere.

[Ron Filipkowski]

You know, I'm trying to think of, like, what it would be like, you know, from a democratic politician's perspective. It would be like, what if you.

[Charlie Angus]

Had, you know, when Biden was in.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Office or Obama or whatever, and then someone ran an ad of FDR and talked about all the kind of programs, you know, that was there.

[Charlie Angus]

And then the President was like, how dare you play fdr? FDR actually did it, you know, and it was like, what are you talking about? This. There's statues of the guy. But to the point is, is like, what would. What's the interference like? Y' all say you love Ronald Reagan.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Charlie Angus]

Ronald Reagan objectively hated tariffs. The whole speech was, I hate tariffs, and only in the most extreme circumstances. And then if we do it because he said, like, we have to do it with Japan in this one, but we got to remove it right away. And I don't take this action lightly because tariffs never work. As you go on and watch the speech, he goes, I want to remind everybody, tariffs, especially if used more broadly, that's what caused the Great Depression. Like, that's what the broader speech was about. And that's what he threw a temper tantrum of. They're like, that's what's interfering. It's wild.

[Ben]

No, this is, this is so far beyond. But, you know, every Canadian knew that there wasn't going to be a trade deal. And I was actually wondering, I was watching Prime Minister Carney the last few days because he's pretty careful guy. He doesn't play his cards very openly. He's very measured. But he was sort of laughing the other day and when he said he was going to challenge Donald Trump to a bet over the Blue Jays, which of course we are going to win the World Series. Sorry, Ben. I love you guys, but not that much. And he said, I don't think Donald will take up the bet. I think he's afraid. I think the Prime Minister knew this was going to go south. Doug Ford knew it was going to go south. And so it's going south, but in a way that makes him look ridiculous. So you know what? Two or three days from now, he's going to be back to the table issuing another set of demands. But as for the Democrats, one comment I heard from Canadians was, why did we have to spend our taxpayers dollars to show an ad that the Democratic Party should have thought to run in the Super Bowl? So just to our Democratic friends in the U.S. how about it? How about stepping up? We could use your support. We'll be there for you too, you know.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Well, you know, I wondered why the Democrats don't run an ad in loop of Donald Trump destroying the White House while Caroline Levitt says his main priority right now is the ballroom.

[Charlie Angus]

Just run that for 30 seconds.

[Ron Filipkowski]

As 20 million Americans are about to lose their health care, as Americans can't afford rent, as they're losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, et cetera.

[Charlie Angus]

So I always ask you, Charlie, at.

[Ron Filipkowski]

The end of these interviews to direct your message to Donald Trump.

[Charlie Angus]

We know that him and the ambassador to Canada, we know they watch all of these videos. They've sent you letters before, so we know they watch. So what is your message right now.

[Ron Filipkowski]

To Donald Trump and his regime?

[Ben]

Pete Hoogstra, come out of your hiding place. I know I live rent free in your head, but I really want to see you spin this because you have a president who's just made himself look like such a malignant fool on the world stage. Trump's baby attitude, the fact that we're now talking about China or the United States, oh, my God, let's work with China. You got to Be really bad on the world stage when China and authoritarian regime looks like a more trustworthy partner with a better record than Donald Trump and maga. So you know Pete Hoekstra hiding in the ambassador's chambers in Ottawa. Come on out, pick a fight with Canadians one more time because we're getting set. We've got your bags all packed for you. And as for you, Donald, man, that just was. That was just. Doesn't there anybody who, like, takes your phone away from you? Because you're going to be back at the table in a few days and then you're going to make more demands and we know we're not going to get a deal, so we're just moving on. So keep, keep it up. Keep it up. Donald and Pete, come on. Come on, Pete. I've asked you to go for a beer with me, Pete, one last time. Let's go for a beer. I'll try and talk to you and then we'll pack your bags and send you shipping.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Well, that'll be live or live to tape on Midas Cannon when he should.

[Charlie Angus]

Come on and he should talk to.

[Ron Filipkowski]

You and the world should see that conversation.

[Ben]

So I'm looking forward to it. I want it in a bar. You know, we'll go watch the Blue Jays together. Come on, Pete. I'm sending him. I know you're watching, so I'll take you. I'll buy. I'll buy, honest.

[Ron Filipkowski]

And we'd love to see that. And we'll put the unedited version of it live for everybody to watch as well. Thanks, Charlie. And thanks for doing this in front of the port of Vancouver. I think it's one of the things I love that you're doing on Midas Canada's YouTube channel, which everybody should subscribe.

[Charlie Angus]

To, is I like how you're taking.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Both Canadians and people from around the world on the trip with you on the Resistance tour.

[Charlie Angus]

And they can see some of these.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Incredible destinations within Canada. So it's great.

[Ben]

Well, it shows why we're fighting for what we're going to fight for. It's the beauty of this land. We're flying on a float plane over to Victoria for a big Midas town hall tomorrow, back to Ontario. We've got a whole bunch of road work ahead of us because we're going to defend this country, you know, province by province, town by town, city by city. And the resistance is strong.

[Ron Filipkowski]

The resistance is strong. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in, become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content only [e-mail].

[Dana]

Today we're going to talk about deep breathing, something we all need to do more of, especially when you're getting ready to call your health plan and deal with one of those automated phone trees. You know how it feels to get into an endless phone loop when you just have a simple question that could take two minutes or less, and then pretty soon you've lost your Zen. Shouldn't your health plan help you reduce stress? That's why you'll talk to a real person when you choose Pacific Source Health Plans.

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You know the words dominating today's headlines.

[Charlie Angus]

Private equity, generative capital gains.

[Dana]

On Fed rate cutlers.

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