Trump laments that he 'can't kill' Canada's government to get his way in a trade deal
President Trump spewed dramatic threats against the World Trade Organization, aka "the single worst trade deal ever made," in a Bloomberg interview on Thursday. But some of his fiercest international comments remained unshared.
A slew of insults against Canada that Trump intended to leave unpublished came to light Friday morning, after the Toronto Star's Daniel Dale obtained off-the-record comments the president made in the Bloomberg interview. Trump's comments pertain to trade negotiations with Canada, and, in the president's own words, are "so insulting they're not going to be able to make a deal."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Star couldn't independently verify Trump's quotes, but the Canadian government has said they're authentic. White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters pointed out that "if this was said, it was in an off-the-record capacity" and said she was looking into its accuracy. Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, who interviewed Trump, wouldn't comment beyond telling Dale that "we should respect" Trump's request to be off the record.
Dale reported that the negotiating team for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "sprung" the comments on the Trump team at a meeting Friday morning. Read more at the Toronto Star. Kathryn Krawczyk
Update 2:46 p.m. ET: Trump tweeted a response to the Star's reporting.
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘If regulators nix the rail merger, supply chain inefficiency will persist’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
