Trump boasts that he made up "facts" about trade

[robkelk]

Trump says he made up facts about trade deficit in meeting with Trudeau

That supposed "trade deficit" that Trump claims exists between the USA and Canada does not exist.

Bruce Heyman, the U.S. ambassador to Canada until January, blasted Trump in a series of tweets early Thursday while also apologizing to Canada for Trump's reported comments.

"Lying to your friends only hurts the relationship," he wrote. "Canada has been there for us thru thick and thin. How can you casually damage this relationship? Shame on you!"

Heyman added that the president is "casually throwing Canada under the bus and this is just wrong."

So... How can Canada trust the USA about anything, now?

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, at this point, any country with any sort of trade relationship with the U.S. needs to start seriously reevaluating it. Especially if it involves any sort of dependence. And start working on changing it so we're not important.

[hazard]

Trump's greatest damage on the international stage isn't that he's so chummy with autocrats, or that he refuses to acknowledge Putin manipulated the US election, or all the other things Russia is doing.

It's how he's turned the US into an unreliable ally and trade partner. That loss of good will take multiple presidents to really repair, and that's if he gets voted out in 2020 or otherwise outed before he gets reelected.

[robkelk]

Canada again points to U.S. numbers after Trump admits he concocted trade deficit claim

Trump doubled down on the trade deficit claim on Twitter Thursday morning.

"We do have a trade deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries," he said. "They do. They almost all do and that's how I know!"

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative confirms that "the U.S. goods and services trade surplus with Canada was $12.5 billion in 2016," Austen said.

So, which one are you going to believe - the guy who says he knows because he knows, or the people who actually have proof that the guy who says he knows because he knows is wrong?