Ontario government sponsors Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News for Trump and Musk interview

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The Ontario government sponsored Fox News host Sean Hannity’s prime-time interview with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, part of the multimillion-dollar advertising campaign the province is rolling out as the U.S. President repeatedly threatens to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

While the campaign is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, the province is refusing to say exactly how much money is being spent on the ads, including the one for Hannity, one of the highest-rated U.S. cable news shows. Fox also did not respond to requests for comment about the cost and frequency of the ads.

The sponsorship ad aired during Tuesday night’s Hannity, before Mr. Hannity’s pre-recorded interview with Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, the tech entrepreneur and Tesla CEO who leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative in the Trump administration.

“This program is brought to you by Ontario, Canada, your trusted economic partner,” the ad said, accompanied by an “Ontario Canada” logo with a maple leaf. It was followed by an Ontario government commercial that showcases the strong economic ties between the two countries.

A spokesperson for Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford’s re-election campaign said the sponsorship is part of the province’s original deal with Fox and that no new money is being spent during the campaign, which will see Ontarians go to the polls on Feb. 27.

“As part of our U.S.-based marketing campaign that’s raising awareness about Ontario’s importance to America’s economic success, Fox offered the province the opportunity to sponsor programming,” Grace Lee said in an e-mail.

“This was included as part of an overall ad buy that was finalized weeks ago. With President Trump threatening tariffs that would devastate Ontario’s economy, we will do whatever it takes to stand up for Canadians, including by taking our message to U.S. airwaves and the shows we know Republicans and President Trump watch.”

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Bonnie Crombie’s campaign slammed the ads, saying Mr. Ford is wasting taxpayers’ money.

“Doug Ford thinks the rules don’t apply to him. He’s spent millions of taxpayer dollars to run advertisements, and hire lobbyists, during the unnecessary election he called,” campaign spokesperson Bahoz Dara Aziz said in a statement.

“He’s taking voters for granted – talking to Fox News and campaigning in the U.S., while hiding from his scandals that just keep piling up.”

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said: “Ford’s overtures are clearly falling flat. His trip to Washington accomplished nothing, and Trump still has no idea who he is.”

“As premier, I’d be focused on defending every job and working with industry to help blunt the impact of tariffs. Ford threw us into this election, and he’s using U.S. media as campaign props. The people of Ontario aren’t fooled,” she added.

According to Fox, Mr. Hannity has the highest viewership among cable news shows in his time slot, averaging 3.6 million viewers per show year-to-date, and is routinely one of the top cable shows overall in the U.S.

Canada received a brief mention during his interview with the President, according to a White House transcript. The host asked about “reciprocal tariffs” – higher U.S. duties to match the tax rates that other countries charge on U.S. imports – which Mr. Trump has said he is planning to introduce as early as April. The federal government has argued that U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods would chiefly hurt Americans.

“I didn’t know Canada was charging us,” Mr. Hannity said.

“Everybody. Everybody. Everybody but us,” Mr. Trump replied, apparently suggesting the U.S. does not charge import duties, which is not the case.

The U.S. President has repeatedly accused Canada of taking advantage of the U.S. and has made false claims about the countries’ trade relationship, including overstating the size of America’s trade deficit with Canada.

He has threatened to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods, as well as additional 25-per-cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, all the while musing about making Canada the 51st state – a proposition that has been repudiated by Canadian politicians across the political spectrum.

Mr. Hannity has also spoken out against Canada, parroting the President’s talking points about trade. The Fox News host slammed Canada during a recent segment that aired after Saturday’s 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game between Canada and the U.S. in Montreal, at which the U.S. national anthem was booed and there were three fights in the first nine seconds.

He said Canada suffered a “humiliating defeat” – the U.S. won 3-1 – urged the Canadian government to secure its border and contribute more to national defence and NATO and accused Ottawa of charging “hefty tariffs” on certain American agricultural products while blocking others.

“Canada and little Justin Trudeau would be wise to realize that this free ride that they’ve been having from us is over,” Mr. Hannity said.

“We don’t deserve to be booed, and we’re not going to take that.”