Trump Accuses Canadian Citizens Of Sneaking Into US To ‘Smuggle’ Shoes In Lie-Filled Speech

President Trump on Tuesday accused Canadian citizens of crossing the border into the U.S. in order to buy shoes and “smuggle” them back into their country to avoid steep tariffs.

“People living in Canada are coming to the United States and smuggling things back into Canada because the tariffs are so massive,” Trump told the National Federation of Independent Businesses during a summit. “The tariffs to get common items back into Canada are so high, that they have to smuggle them in.

“They buy shoes and then they wear them. They scuff them up. They make them sound old or look old,” the president said.

“No, we’re treated horribly,” he added.

I didn’t believe Trump was talking about how Canadians are smuggling shoes from the US back into Canada. But it’s real. Cus of course it is. pic.twitter.com/63GKrXPWPF

— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) June 19, 2018

Huffpost Canada notes:

The duties and taxes Canadians pay at the border on imported goods are actually collected on behalf the government of Canada after U.S. businesses have made their cash.

According to the Canadian Border Services Agency, Canadians who visit the U.S. for at least 24 hours qualify for an exemption on taxes and duties up to $200. That exemption jumps to $800 if you stay for at least 48 hours.

Trump is currently raging about people sneaking shoes into Canada by wearing them and “scuffing them up” so they look old.

SHOES.

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) June 19, 2018

Canadians, please let me know if you’ve ever crossed the border to buy shoes and made them all dirty before going home so Canadian customs wouldn’t notice that you’re a smuggler

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) June 19, 2018

Trump, at small business conference, suggests Canada a nation of shoe smugglers who cross the border, buy shoes and “scuff them up,” before smuggling them across the border. #NAFTA

— Tim Harper (@nutgraf1) June 19, 2018

Since when is it illegal to buy shoes in the US?

— Arielle Piat-Sauvé (@arielleps) June 19, 2018