Administration

Trump caught on hot mic criticizing media, talking about ‘two-faced’ Trudeau

by Marty Johnson 12/04/19 11:33 AM ET

As reporters were ushered out of a working lunch that President Trump was having with fellow NATO leaders Wednesday, a hot mic caught Trump saying “that was funny when I said that guy was two-faced.”

It is believed that Trump was referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Trump described as “two-faced” earlier in the day.

The president’s initial comments regarding Trudeau came after a video clip showing the Canadian prime minister gossiping about the president’s conduct at bilateral NATO meetings on Tuesday went viral.

When asked about the video, Trump answered: “Well, he’s two-faced.”

After pausing, Trump continued: “And honestly with Trudeau, he’s a nice guy. I find him to be a very nice guy.”

Trump speculated that Trudeau was unhappy with his criticism of Canada’s failure to meet NATO member states’ commitment to spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense.

“They should be paying 2 percent,” Trump noted. “So I called him out on that, and I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it, but that’s the way it is.”

In response to the viral video clip, Trudeau tried to smooth over the situation.

“I have a very productive and positive relationship with Mr. Trump. … We will continue to have an excellent relationship,” Trudeau told reporters.

“Last night I made a reference to the fact that there was an unscheduled press conference,” Trudeau added. “It was certainly notable, and I’ve had a number of good conversations with the president over the course of this day and yesterday.”

The hot mic also picked up Trump poking fun at the media. Earlier in the day, Trump announced that he wouldn’t be holding a press conference as a conclusion to the NATO summit in London.

“You’ll be in double digits for press conferences,” an unidentified voice said to Trump.

“Oh, and then you know what they’ll say?” Trump responded, referring to members of the media, “‘He didn’t do a press conference! He didn’t do a press conference!’”