History is not the Trump administration's strongest subject.
President Donald Trump incorrectly accused Canada of burning down the White House while on a combative phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month, according to a report.
Trump's erroneous historical jab, which seemingly referred to British troops' torching of the White House during the War of 1812, came after Trudeau pressed him on how he could justify slapping steel and aluminum sanctions on Canada in the name of "national security," several people familiar with the matter told CNN.
"Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" Trump fired back, according to the sources.
British troops burned down the White House in retaliation for American soldiers attacking the then English colony of York, Canada during the 1812 conflict.
It was not clear how Trudeau reacted to Trump's remark. A spokesman for Trudeau declined to comment and the White House did not respond to emailed questions.
One of the sources familiar with the May 25 phone call said it wasn't clear if Trump was joking.
"To the degree one can ever take what is said as a joke," the source said. "The impact on Canada and ultimately on workers in the U.S. won't be a laughing matter."
Trudeau and American lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have blasted Trump's announcement last week that he intends to impose tariffs on steel imports from Europe, Mexico and Canada, saying the measures will ultimately hurt everyone involved.
Trump has countered that the tariffs against key U.S. allies are to be imposed out of "national security" concerns.
Republican Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who's generally friendly with Trump and sympathetic toward his policy initiatives, blasted the tariffs proposal.
"This is a dangerous course and should be abandoned immediately," Corker said in a statement.
The report about Trump's War of 1812 comment came on the heels of top State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert raising eyebrows by invoking the D-Day invasion while talking about the "very strong relationship" between the U.S. and Germany.
