Ontario Premier Ford Responds to Report that US Chamber Event Was Cancelled Fearing Trump Backlash

Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a media availability in Toronto, on May 4, 2026. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is not concerned about the cancellation of a planned Washington D.C. reception with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce earlier this week, following reports that White House officials lodged complaints about him with the chamber.

The chamber has publicly attributed the cancellation of the June 8 event with board chair Ross Perot Jr. to “scheduling conflicts,” but it has since been reported by multiple media outlets that the event was actually cancelled due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s disapproval of Ford.

Ford addressed the rumours during a June 10 press conference after a reporter asked if the U.S. administration’s “deep dislike” of him was responsible for the cancellation.

“If that’s the case, you know, so be it,” Ford replied. “I know I have an incredible relationship we’ve built with Ross Perot Jr. He’s a gentleman, he’s a leader, and we'll have another time to get together. I’m not worried about that whatsoever.”

Ford added that he could not definitively confirm whether the White House had exerted pressure on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to call off the event.

“You’re going to have to ask the chamber that,” he said. “I don’t know that 100 percent, but we'll see how we move forward.”

A spokesperson for the chamber said the event was “pulled down” due to scheduling conflicts but did not provide further details about those conflicts or the factors that led to the cancellation.

Ford travelled to the U.S. capitol at the beginning of the week for a series of bilateral meetings with lawmakers and industry leaders to promote his “Fortress North America” vision. A centrepiece of his two-day trip was a planned high-profile networking reception with Perot Jr., an American billionaire businessman.

Despite the cancellation, Ford told reporters the two-day trade mission was a success and he was kept busy with multiple meetings.

His social media showed meetings with the American Automotive Policy Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation and Autos Drive America, which were closed to the media. He also met with New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, Indiana Congressman Rudy Yakym, Virginia Congressman Don Beyer, and Kevin Cramer, the junior Senator for North Dakota, all of whom are Republicans.

“We have been jammed meeting everyone down here, they rolled out the red carpet for us, they treated us so well,” Ford told reporters on June 9. “Our message to everyone: We love Americans.”

Ford has been vocal in his opposition of Trump’s tariffs which have significantly impacted Ontario industries. He launched a $75 million ad campaign last year featuring the words of late Republican President Ronald Reagan in a bid to convince Americans tariffs are an ineffective strategy to deal with trade issues. The one-minute ad included clips of Reagan criticizing long-term tariff use, a policy that the late president said increases prices and negatively impacts U.S. workers. 

The president suspended trade negotiations with Ottawa after the ad ran on U.S. networks, calling the ad a “FRAUD” and “egregious” on his Truth Social network. Trump said the advertising campaign distorted Reagan’s position on tariffs and aimed to influence a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding his administration’s application of tariffs, while Ford maintained that the ads were both accurate and impactful.

Fortress North America

The primary goal of the two-day journey was to unveil his Fortress North America strategy, Ford said. The initiative serves as an updated version of the premier’s original Fortress Am-Can plan that he announced last year in an attempt to persuade Trump to increase trade with Canada.

The new proposal promotes deeper integration of vital minerals, energy, and trade.

Ford said his message during the trip underscored the economic prosperity that the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) has brought to the three participating nations over the years, emphasizing that it is in the best interests of U.S. businesses and consumers to move forward together under a renewed trade deal.

That is where his new Fortress North America strategy comes in, a plan that the province says is “built on a simple truth: economic security is national security.”

Ford said the plan was well received during his visit.

“I'll tell you one thing, I met a lot of Democrats and Republicans on my quick visit. Every one of them is saying ‘we got to get this done,’” he told reporters on June 10. “We have to start moving, because when you have uncertainty, investment gets stalled, and when investment gets stalled, jobs get stalled, prices go up, inflation starts happening.”

He added that he has “all the confidence” that the governors he has spoken with will “voice their opinion along with the senators and congresspeople” to get trade between the two countries back on track.

Ford’s trip follows closely on the heels of Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s recent visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the renewal of CUSMA.

LeBlanc addressed reporters in Washington following what he described as a “positive” meeting with Greer. He said “a number of specific proposals” were presented to address “some longstanding issues that the United States has raised with us.”

A mandatory joint assessment of CUSMA by the member states is scheduled to begin on July 1, the sixth anniversary of the deal that sets free trade terms on a wide selection of goods between the three countries.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.