Trump Gets Torched For Reportedly Claiming Canada Burned The White House
President Donald Trump is getting scorched on Twitter after he reportedly accused Canada of setting fire to the White House during the War of 1812.
During a phone conversation on May 25, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Trump how tariffs against his nation’s steel and aluminum could be justified in the name of U.S. national security, as the president claimed.
“Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” Trump said, according to CNN and the CBC.
Canada, a British colony at the time, did not become a nation until 1867.
Canadians often do ― at times mockingly ― take credit for burning Washington in 1814 as it was in retaliation for the United States burning York, present-day Toronto, the previous year.
Last month, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell even tweeted:
Good old War of 1812 when we burned Washiington! https://t.co/Y1k5Sxu3wZ
— Kim Campbell (@AKimCampbell) June 1, 2018
However, the war was with Britain and the troops who burned Washington were all British, as Canada’s National Post noted:
“Granted, at the time Canada was still a British colony and any resident there would have been considered British. However, the soldiers who burned down Washington were all expeditionary troops sent direct from Great Britain, unlike the local militias and Indigenous warriors who had done much of the fighting during earlier U.S. attempts to invade what is now Ontario.”
Trump was either joking or needs a history lesson ― and tweeters were standing by to school him on the issue:
"Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" I'm guessing that maybe he went to the same school as Bluto Blutarsky in Animal House & has never actually read a history book. #TheBestSkools https://t.co/hs5aMhADZh
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) June 6, 2018
CANADA: But why?
TRUMP: War of 1812!
FRANCE: *scrambles to find receipt for Louisiana Purchase*— TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) June 6, 2018
They actually tell you it was the British (not Canadians) on White House tours. They also teach it in grade school.
Yet, Trump suggested to @JustinTrudeau that CANADA burned down the White House, during the War of 1812.
https://t.co/NYGtdi7HuH— VoteVets (@votevets) June 6, 2018
When Canadians say sorry, its always for the White House fire during the War of 1812.
— m i t h (@ManInTheHoody) June 7, 2018
I’m 15.
How is it that I knew what happened during the War of 1812, but the president didn’t?
Stop calling the president an immature teenager - that’s an insult to us. He’s an immature idiot.— Emilia (@PoliticalEmilia) June 6, 2018
Dear @POTUS: Heard you blamed Canada for burning down the White House during the War of 1812 while discussing tariffs with PM Trudeau. Sharing this memo with you, again. pic.twitter.com/vLZgBJtQDt
— Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) June 6, 2018
Like we always said, this thing is gonna come down to Rudy Giuliani and the War of 1812
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) June 6, 2018
I think we might've been responsible for the Bowling Green massacre too.
— Lloyd Davis, Copyeditor (@LCopyeditor) June 7, 2018
I had joked previously that Trump would invoke 1812 to Trudeau to justify the "National security risk" Canada poses to the U.S.
I find that joke less funny now.— 𝕁𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝔾𝕠𝕣𝕓𝕖𝕣 (@filmfest_ca) June 6, 2018
On this episode of "Drunk history" Trump blames Canada for burning down the White House during the War of 1812
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) June 7, 2018
I'm actually impressed Trump knew anything about the war of 1812. https://t.co/rBwvvuhFqf
— Andray 🏳️🌈 (@andraydomise) June 6, 2018
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.