BRAZEN

Report: Trump Says He Made Up Facts in Meeting With Trudeau

Tried to convince the Canadian prime minister of a trade deficit that didn’t exist.

President Trump on Wednesday admitted to spouting off made-up facts to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about a nonexistent trade deficit, The Washington Post reports. Speaking at a fundraising event in Missouri, the president told donors he’d complained of a major trade deficit with Canada without really knowing whether that claim was true. “Trudeau came to see me. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said, ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,’” he said, according to the Post. “I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know... I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.’” After having someone check the information, Trump said, he learned Trudeau was actually right. He insisted losses from energy and timber still amounted to a $17 billion a year loss for the U.S., however. The U.S. actually has a trade surplus with Canada, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The president repeatedly praised himself in the 30-minute Missouri speech, presenting himself as a strong leader standing up to other nations determined to take advantage of the U.S.