Donald Trump slammed Justin Trudeau as ‘two-faced’ on Wednesday after the Canadian prime minister was caught on camera at Buckingham Palace mocking the president.
‘Well, he’s two-faced,’ Trump said of him.
Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were caught on a hot mic at the Buckingham Palace NATO reception Tuesday evening, appearing to gossip about Trump.
Donald Trump slammed Justin Trudeau after prime minister was caught mocking him on a hot mic
Justin Trudeau, center, Emmanuel Macron, second right, and Boris Johnson, right, have all been caught on a hot mic at the Buckingham Palace NATO reception appearing to gossip about Donald Trump and an apparent impromptu lengthy press conference
In the clip, which appears to be edited, Trudeau makes the most cutting comments, laughing about Trump’s lengthy Q&A sessions with reporters and saying even the president’s staff was shocked at some of his actions.
The president did not look amused when reporters asked him about the video during his meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel.
‘Honestly with Trudeau, he’s a nice guy,’ the president added after a long pause.
He then explained his theory on why Trudeau said what he did, arguing the prime minister mocked him because he gave Trudeau grief during their sit down on Tuesday about Canada not paying enough in fees to be a member of the NATO alliance.
‘I find him to be a very nice guy but you know the truth is that I called him out on the fact that he’s not paying 2 per cent and I guess he’s not very happy about it,’ Trump said.
‘He’s not paying 2 per cent, and he should be paying 2 per cent. It’s Canada. They have money. And they should be paying 2 per cent. So I called him out on that, and I’m sure he wasn’t happy about that, but that’s the way it is. Look, I’m representing the U.S. And he should be paying more than he’s paying. And he understands it. So I can imagine he’s not that happy. But that’s the way it is,’ he added.
At their Tuesday meeting, Trump noted Canada is ‘slightly delinquent’ in its NATO payments but added: ‘But they’ll be okay. I have confidence.’
‘Some are way below 1 per cent and that’s unacceptable. And then if something happens we’re supposed to protect them and it’s not really fair and it never has been fair and they’re paying up,’ he added.
After his comments, the two leaders engaged in a back-and-forth on how much Canada pays NATO.
‘Well, we’ll put them on a payment plan, right?,’ Trump said of America’s neighbor to the north. ‘I’m sure the prime minister would love that. What are you at? What is your number?’
But Trudeau defended Canada’s payments.
He said that ‘the number we talked about is 70 per cent increase over these past years including and for the coming years, I think including significant investments in our fighter jets, significant investments in our naval fleets. We are increasing significantly our defense spending from previous governments that cut it.’
President Donald Trump, at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asked him about Canada’s payments to NATO
In a clip being widely shared online the three world leaders seem to be discussing why the French President was late during the London summit. Princess Anne also appears to be in the discussion, left, but it is unclear if or how she responds
The Princess Royal, right, talks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, during a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, as NATO leaders attend to mark 70 years of the alliance
But Trump wanted a hard number for what Canada pays and asked for it: ‘Where are you now in terms of your number?’
Trudeau said Canada was at 1.4 per cent and ‘continuing to move forward.’
Trump nodded and pointed out ‘they’re getting there. They know it’s important to do that. And their economy is doing well. They’ll get there quickly I think.’
The president has pushed for NATO member nations to pay 2 per cent.
But it was a clip from a leaders’ reception at Buckingham Palace that was the talk of social media late Tuesday night, in which Trudeau was caught mocking the president.
In the clip, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asks: ‘Is that why you were late?’ as he stoops down and chuckles in disbelief, before Trudeau, swigging from his drink, shoots back: ‘He was late because he takes a 40 minute press conference off the top.’
The video then cuts to a later clip, which is without context, and sees Macron pointing furiously before Dutch PM Mark Rutte exclaims ‘fake news media’ and Trudeau adds: ‘You just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor.’
He then motions as if his jaw is dropping.
Princess Anne also appears to be involved in the discussion but it is unclear if or how she responds.
The clip was first shared by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Pictures from the event show the Princess Royal talking to Johnson and Trudeau.