Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is distancing himself from President Donald Trump’s trade fight with Canada as he campaigns for Michigan voters in a closely watched 2026 Senate race.

Rogers, who narrowly lost his 2024 Senate bid, released a new campaign advertisement Wednesday calling for an end to the tariff dispute with Canada and arguing that Michigan families are being squeezed by high prices.

“Prices are too high, and Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers said in a social media post promoting the ad. “We need to end the tariff war, now. In the Senate, I’ll bring both parties together to lower costs and put Michigan families first.”

The advertisement appeals directly to Michigan’s close economic and cultural ties with Canada. Rogers references beer and hockey as familiar Michigan traditions before promising to work across party lines to resolve the dispute.

“We need to end this tariff war, now,” Rogers says in the ad. “As Michigan’s senator, I’ll bring both parties together to lower your prices. That’s job number one.”

Rogers also turns his attention to his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, accusing him of supporting policies that would impose what Rogers described as a $3,000 tax increase on Michigan families.

The ad puts Rogers in a politically complicated position as he seeks to appeal to swing voters while President Trump continues to defend an aggressive trade strategy toward Canada.

Trump announced plans for higher tariffs on Canadian automobiles, trucks, automotive parts and steel beginning Jan. 1, 2027, while arguing that Canada has benefited from its trade relationship with the United States without providing enough in return.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. does not need Canada and has pushed Ottawa to negotiate a new trade arrangement.

Asked about Rogers’ advertisement Wednesday, Trump appeared to interpret the message as a call for Canada to reach a deal rather than an outright attack on his tariff policy.

“I viewed it as though he wanted Canada to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I viewed him as saying that he thinks Canada should make a deal.”

The trade dispute has also drawn attention from Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the European Union was considering allowing Canada to become an “associate member,” a proposal Trump dismissed as “laughable.”

Trump warned that if the move were intended as a hostile action, the United States could respond with significantly higher tariffs or restrictions on trade with Europe.

Rogers’ decision to make the Canada dispute a central part of his campaign message highlights the political pressure surrounding trade in Michigan, where manufacturing, automotive production, and cross-border commerce are major economic issues.