Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks to media in the foyer outside the House of Commons before Question Period in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec.4, 2024. A video shared on social media of a teary-eyed Trudeau has been taken out of context and edited to appear as if the prime minister is responding to Donald Trump's trade tariff's threats. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks to media in the foyer outside the House of Commons before Question Period in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec.4, 2024. A video shared on social media of a teary-eyed Trudeau has been taken out of context and edited to appear as if the prime minister is responding to Donald Trump's trade tariff's threats. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A video is circulating on X that appears to show Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weeping in response to a meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and tariffs imposed on Canada. The video has been edited and taken out of context. It has been shortened and altered from a seven-year-old clip in which the prime minister reacted to the death of Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie.
A circulating on X, formerly Twitter, appears to show Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shedding tears in response to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods entering the United States.
“BREAKING: Canada’s Justin Trudeau has arrived in Florida to meet President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago,†the post reads.
In the 21-second clip, a crying Trudeau says, “We all knew it was coming but we hoped it wasn’t … I thought I was gonna make it through this, but I’m not. It hurts and we are less as a country.â€
A CNN breaking news banner on the video reads, “Trudeau’s response to tariff news.â€
The video, posted on Nov. 29, has received more than 235,000 views and 270 likes as of publication. The user who posted the video has more than 193,000 followers on the social media platform.
Rating: Missing context
While the prime minister did weep and utter the words in the post, the video was altered to make it appear that it was in response to tariffs and broadcast on CNN.
A keyword search of "Trudeau crying at a news conference" brought up the original video, which was recorded seven years ago on Oct. 18, 2017, when Trudeau about the death of The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie, who had died of brain cancer at the age of 53.
In the Trudeau walked toward the weekly Liberal caucus meeting on and described Downie’s death as a loss to for all Canadians. The original video does not have the CNN banner that appears in the X post.
That same day, the prime minister issued a offering his condolences and highlighting Downie's contribution to culture and justice in Canada.
Several users pointed this out in the comments section of the Nov. 29 post. Some posted jokes, but others questioned its authenticity.
In fact, the X user first shared the video on – several days before Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 29.
'Excellent conversation'
Images of Trudeau’s meeting with Trump also show the prime minister in seemingly different spirits.
On Nov 30, a posted to Trudeau’s X account shows the prime minister and the president-elect smiling with the caption: “Thanks for the dinner last night, president Trump. I look forward to the work we can do together, again.â€
After the meeting, a smiling Trudeau walked through the lobby of the Delta Hotel and told reporters he had an with Trump.
You can find out more about °µÍø½ûÇø here and about Canadian Press Fact Checks here. To reach our fact-checking team with any tips, corrections or comments, please email us at cpfactcheck@thecanadianpress.com.
