He has criticized Canada’s trade polices as “unfair” and dismissed its dairy policy as “a disgrace”. Now, Donald Trump has reportedly added a 200-year-old battle to his litany of complaints against the United States’ northern neighbor.
During a tetchy phone call last month to discuss looming steel and aluminum tariffs, Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, reportedly asked how Trump could justify the new duties on national security grounds.
In reply, Trump asked, according to CNN: “Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” The White House did not respond to a request for comment and Canadian officials declined to comment on the record.
The White House was burned by British troops in 1814 as part of a failed invasion of the mid-Atlantic, more than 50 years before the signing of Canada’s confederation paved the way for the founding of modern-day Canada.
Although the British successfully took Washington and burned much of the city, they failed in their major goal of taking Baltimore when their forces were rebuffed at the battle of Fort McHenry.
Canada…
