President Trump complained Friday that someone “blatantly” violated an agreement that some of his Thursday interview with Bloomberg would be kept off the record, after those comments were printed, indicating he plans to make no trade concessions to Canada.
“Wow, I made OFF THE RECORD COMMENTS to Bloomberg concerning Canada, and this powerful understanding was BLATANTLY VIOLATED,” Trump tweeted, after the Toronto Star reported the remarks.
“Oh well, just more dishonest reporting. I am used to it. At least Canada knows where I stand!” Trump added.
[New: Canada trade talks fizzle, Trump moves on Mexico-only deal]
Trump didn’t specifically blame Bloomberg for the leak, and while it’s possible a journalist leaked the off-the-record remarks, Trump has reportedly continued his pre-presidency habit of giving anonymous tips to the media. A book released this year by journalist Ronald Kessler said he routinely asks that scoops be attributed to an unnamed White House official.
In an afternoon speech, Trump appeared to blame journalists who conducted the interview for the disclosure, saying “they violated it” and that he found it remarkable that the Star included his specific instructions that the comments be considered “off the record.”
“I said this is a first, these are very dishonorable people,” Trump said in North Carolina. “When you say ‘off the record’… it’s not a legal term, but it’s a term of honor. … They actually printed my ‘off the record’.”
He repeated, however, that he believes the alleged leak may be positive, saying, “In the end it’s okay because at least Canada knows how I feel.”
The reporter for the Toronto Star, which published the off-the-record comments, said he wouldn’t say how he got his information.
[Read: Canada ‘not there yet’ on NAFTA deal]
I won’t be commenting on the source of the leaked quotes.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 31, 2018
The Star reported that Trump told journalists he would make no trade concessions to Canada but that he cannot say so because “it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal.”
“Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off. And every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” Trump reportedly said, referring to a General Motors model manufactured in Canada.
Trump was interviewed by three Bloomberg journalists on Thursday, after announcing earlier in the week that he had reached a preliminary framework for a new a bilateral trade deal with Mexico to replace the three-country North American Free Trade Agreement.
Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, one of three journalists to interview Trump, declined to comment to the Star, saying, “‘Off the record’ means ‘off the record’ — and we should respect that.”
A photo of the interview shows Trump, along with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, Micklethwait, and Bloomberg White House reporters Jennifer Jacobs and Margaret Talev, who is a past president of the White House Correspondents Association.
