--- title: Trump to Trudeau: 'Didn't You Guys Burn Down White House?' description: Trump reportedly made an erroneous historical reference during a call on trade canonical: https://time.com/5304008/donald-trump-canada-tariffs-war-1812/ author: Eli Meixler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-07T06:15:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:29:53.531Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump to Trudeau: Didn't You Guys Burn Down the White House? og:description: Trump reportedly made an erroneous historical reference during a call on trade og:url: https://time.com/5304008/donald-trump-canada-tariffs-war-1812/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaceedcd55ac1ef8b/698932828fd2ee450a35bd56/gettyimages-860252018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4931 og:image:height: 2774 og:image:alt: US-CANADA-DIPLOMACY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump to Trudeau: Didn't You Guys Burn Down the White House? twitter:description: Trump reportedly made an erroneous historical reference during a call on trade twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaceedcd55ac1ef8b/698932828fd2ee450a35bd56/gettyimages-860252018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Didn't You Guys Burn Down the White House?' President Trump Fumbles in Phone Call With Justin Trudeau > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=60d445df-f654-4999-8764-01e1886ef5ad&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump's Tariffs Draw Threats of Retaliation from EU, Mexico and Canada [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump's Tariffs Draw Threats of Retaliation from EU, Mexico and Canada](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZjJqDHK5.m3u8) (2:19)  _Published 2018-06-01. The Trump administration delivered a gut punch to America’s closest allies Thursday, imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe, Mexico and Canada in a move that drew immediate vows of retaliation_ by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Jun 7, 2018 6:15 AM UTC The Trump administration delivered a gut punch to America’s closest allies Thursday, imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe, Mexico and Canada in a move that drew immediate vows of retaliation by [Eli Meixler](https://time.com/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Jun 7, 2018 6:15 AM UTC President Trump seems to have fumbled on historical accuracy during a [fraught phone call](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/war-of-1812-donald-trump-justin-trudeau-tariff/index.html) about trade with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last month, reportedly asking his northern counterpart, “Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” CNN reports that sources familiar with the conversation said Trump was responding to Trudeau’s query over how trade tariffs could be justified as a “national security” issue. Canadian broadcaster CBC [also confirmed](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/us/politics/war-of-1812-history-facts.html) that the conversation took place. But Trump’s quip, an apparent reference to the War of 1812, was erroneous; it was in fact the British who set the residence and other sites ablaze in 1814, in retaliation for an American attack on York, Ontario, which at the time was a British colony. Canada did not become a nation until 1867. The May 25 phone call reportedly took on a contentious tone as the two North American leaders discussed [Trump’s new tariffs](http://time.com/5297073/donald-trump-steel-aluminum-tariffs-eu-canada-mexico/) on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the E.U. The administration premised the tariffs on a little-used trade statute pertaining to threats to national security. Canada announced plans to impose reciprocal duties on $12.8 billion worth of U.S. products. “That Canada could be considered a national security threat to the United States is inconceivable,” Trudeau said, according to the Associated Press. The White House declined to comment, according to CNN. ## Transcript [00:00] It's very disappointing that the United States has [00:03] chosen to apply steel and aluminium tariffs to countries [00:07] across the European Union, allies of the United States, [00:10] and all in the name of national security. And in the [00:13] case of the United Kingdom, where we send steel to [00:17] the United States that is vital for their businesses and [00:20] the defense industry, It is patently absurd. Let me be [00:23] clear, these tariffs are totally unacceptable. [00:28] for a hundred and fifty years Canada has been the [00:32] United States' most steadfast alley. In response to [00:36] these measures Canada intends to impose tariffs [00:38] against imports of steel, aluminum, and other products [00:41] from the United States, representing the total value of [00:44] 2017 Canadian exports affected by the US measures. [00:49] That is 16. 6 Billion dollars. This [00:54] is the strongest trade action Canada has [00:58] taken in the post war era. It is not common for the [01:02] US to use 2432 provision. [01:08] And in a way to claim a national security action When [01:13] you are affecting allies, traditional allies of the US, is [01:17] not understandable. And so we announce today that [01:21] we'll take action at the [ UNKNOWN ] an amount to [01:25] compensate exactly the damage done to Mexican [01:28] exports on steel and aluminum. This is very [01:31] unfortunate. It is unfortunate because it will cause [01:35] a lot of damage to our steel and aluminum industry. [01:38] It's unfortunate because the motivation behind this, the [01:42] section 232 that the Americans are using, internal [01:46] security. Is not relevant. [01:51] It is pure protectionism. Europeans feel an aluminum [01:55] export to the United States cannot be seen as a threat [01:59] to their internal security. Clearly, the European Union [02:02] has to defend its interests. And this is why, as [02:07] announced by the President yesterday, The European [02:10] Union will today proceed with The WTO disparate [02:13] settlements case and impose additional duties on a [02:16] number of imports from The United States. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5304008/donald-trump-canada-tariffs-war-1812/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5304008/donald-trump-canada-tariffs-war-1812/"},"headline":"'Didn't You Guys Burn Down the White House?' 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