Trump teases Canada's Justin Trudeau over 'Home Alone 2' cameo controversy

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump appeared to tease Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday over a Canadian broadcaster's decision to cut the president's cameo appearance in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

Tweeting from his Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago, the president weighed into the Christmas controversy as the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. has faced a backlash from some over its edit of the movie to remove a brief exchange between Trump and actor Macaulay Culkin in New York's Plaza Hotel.

"I guess Justin T doesn’t much like my making him pay up on NATO or Trade!" Trump posted in a series of tweets. "The movie will never be the same! (just kidding)."

Despite outrage from some Trump supporters, a CBC spokesman told USA TODAY that the edits were made in 2014 – before Trump even announced his candidacy for president – and was one of several scenes cut from the movie to adapt it for television.

The movie was broadcast multiple times this holiday season, including on Christmas Day. The CBC version of the film caught the attention of Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted an article about the scene being cut. He tweeted the clip from the film in full.

Trump and Trudeau have had a tense relationship that was complicated by a viral video that surfaced this month during a NATO summit in the United Kingdom in which the Canadian prime minister and other world leaders are overheard having a laugh at the president's expense. Trump responded by calling Trudeau "two-faced."

More: Trump's cameo in 'Home Alone 2' cut for time, Canadian TV network says

However the two leaders, along with Mexican officials, negotiated a trade agreement last year to replace the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement. That new deal was approved by the Democratic-controlled House this month is pending in the GOP-led Senate.

Trump was asked about the movie during a teleconference with U.S. troops on Christmas Eve.

"A lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas," Trump told the soldiers. "They say, 'I just saw you.' Especially young kids, they say, 'I just saw you on the movie.'...It was – it was an honor to do it. And it turned out to be a very big hit, obviously."

Contributing: Rasha Ali, Joshua Bote

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump teases Canada's Justin Trudeau over 'Home Alone 2' cameo cut