Trudeau Ends Up in PR Nightmare After His Doughnut Diplomacy Backfires Badly

By Staff, Agencies

Canada’s Prime Minister has ordered some treats for his cabinet ministers but it didn’t quite help him ingratiate himself with some Canadians.

Never mind the brownface or obstruction of justice, Justin Trudeau has found himself in the sweetest of controversies – the doughnut one.

A photo of the Canadian Prime Minister shopping at a Winnipeg-based bakery called Oh Doughnuts has had critics accusing him of being a spendthrift.

Trudeau on Monday posted a photo of himself buying seven boxes of donuts for members of his Liberal government, who came to Winnipeg for a three-day retreat this week to discuss how to push their priorities through a parliament where they now have a minority.

“Picked up some of Winnipeg’s best to keep us going through another full day of Cabinet meetings. Thanks for the fuel, @OhDoughnuts,” Trudeau wrote.

And while some praised him for buying local, others couldn’t help but pounce on Trudea for splashing taxpayer dollars on a purchase they said was way too expensive. According to Oh Doughnuts’ website, the most expensive option, a dozen “specialty doughnuts”, cost CA$47 (over $35 US dollars).

Oh Doughnuts owner Amanda Kinden said Trudeau’s visit was completely unexpected.

“I just received an email on Sunday for an order, which I responded normally to,” she told local radio station 680 CJOB. “They ended up placing an order on the website, so it was sort of out of my hands, and then I got a message from the staff Monday morning that it was for Justin Trudeau”.

“We had no idea he was coming. It was a dark, cold Monday morning, and one of his staffers opened the door and he walked in first.”

Kinden added that the tweetstorm was “a lot of fun” and that Trudeau’s critics found the most expensive options on her shop’s website.

“All of our doughnuts aren’t $47 a dozen. Those are our most elaborate, fancy doughnuts… which they didn’t get. They just got regular variety doughnuts.”

And the Canadian PM has apparently saved 10 per cent by ordering online.