US President Donald Trump (R) speaks to the press during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House on October 11, 2017. (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Thursday continued to insist the United States has a trade deficit with Canada, following news reports that he claimed at a fundraiser about talking trade with the country’s prime minister without knowing all the facts.
Trump wrote on Twitter: “We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do…they almost all do…and that’s how I know!”
Trump, who routinely inflates trade deficits, has previously complained about a trade deficit with Canada even though the US runs an overall surplus with that country — when the value of services is included in the calculation.
Trump spoke about trade during a fundraising speech in St. Louis on Wednesday, according to audio obtained by The Washington Post. The paper reported that Trump said he freestyled with the facts when talking trade with Trudeau.
US President Donald Trump waves as he walks away after participating in a roundtable discussion on tax policy at the Boeing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said Trudeau told him there was no trade deficit. Trump said he replied, “‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. … I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.'”
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Trump claimed the figures don’t include timber and energy.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative said the United States has a trade surplus with Canada.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
