MSNBC’s Ali Velshi Slams Trump Over Canada Trade Deficit Claim: ‘Absolutely Patently a Lie’
Welcome to Donald Trump‘s America, where daytime news anchors report about the White House’s lies in such a casual tone that audiences may easily forget the unprecedented nature of this current moment in our nation’s political history.
“Yet another day in which the White House and the president are lying to the American people,” MSNBC’s Ali Velshi said this afternoon. The anchor was covering a Washington Post report indicating the president bragged at a fundraising event on Wednesday night about lying to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Via the Washington Post:
“Trudeau came to see me. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said, ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,’ ” Trump said, mimicking Trudeau, according to audio of the private event in Missouri obtained by The Washington Post. “Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in — ‘Donald, we have no trade deficit.’ He’s very proud because everybody else, you know, we’re getting killed.
“… So, he’s proud. I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. … I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.’ You know why? Because we’re so stupid. … And I thought they were smart. I said, ‘You’re wrong, Justin.’ He said, ‘Nope, we have no trade deficit.’ I said, ‘Well, in that case, I feel differently,’ I said, ‘but I don’t believe it.’ I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said, ‘Check, because I can’t believe it.’
To be clear, the U.S. does not have a trade deficit with its neighbors to the north. Those familiar with the nations’ trade agreements are well aware of that fact, including the president, as well as the Canadian prime minister — not to mention Velshi, who attempted to calmly correct the record.
“I do want to clarify a few things because there’s so much lying coming out of the White House today,” he said. “The president, after knowing the U.S. does not have a trade deficit with Canada, tweeted again that it does. It’s an absolute, bold-faced lie.”
Velshi also took to Twitter to respond to Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on the same claim:
In the briefing I said I would provide the trade deficit number we have with Canada. In 2017 we had a $17.58 B trade deficit. In January 2018 we had a$3.63 B trade deficit. Both reflect trade in goods. Which is exactly what @POTUS referenced. https://t.co/PHm7hXdszD
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 15, 2018
This isn’t hard, even for you in the White House: CANADA BUYS MORE FROM AMERICA THAN AMERICA BUYS FROM CANADA. AMERICA HAS A TRADE SURPLUS WITH CANADA. https://t.co/OfbvbXgAul
— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) March 15, 2018
He concluded on air by saying again to “say otherwise is absolutely patently a lie… yet another day in which the White House and the President are lying.”
Watch a clip of the segment, via MSNBC.
[image via screengrab]
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