Justin Trudeau–Fidel Castro conspiracy theory
{{Short description|Allegation regarding Justin Trudeau's paternity}}
{{Redirect|Justin Castro|the Filipino student, vendor, and public speaker who established The boy who cried books|Justin Adriel de Castro}}
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During his premiership, a conspiracy theory emerged that Justin Trudeau is secretly the son of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. This claim has been promoted by Donald Trump and by several fake news websites.{{Cite web |last=Major |first=Darren |title=Trump repeats conspiracy theory that PM Trudeau 'could be' son of Fidel Castro |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-trudeau-castro-conspiracy-1.7287329 |website=CBC}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-04/facebook-tamped-down-on-hoax-sites-but-polarization-thrives |title=Facebook Tamped Down on Hoax Sites, But Polarization Thrives |last=Frier |first=Sarah |date=2018-11-04 |website=www.bloomberg.com |access-date=2018-11-06 |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106132153/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-04/facebook-tamped-down-on-hoax-sites-but-polarization-thrives |url-status=live }} Conspiracy theorists cite alleged similarities in appearance between Trudeau and Castro, as well as the fact that Trudeau's father Pierre, who was also prime minister of Canada, visited Cuba several times. However, Pierre Trudeau did not visit Cuba until 1976, five years after Justin Trudeau was born in 1971.{{Cite web |author=Boyle |first=Michael |title=Is there any truth to the rumor Fidel Castro is Justin Trudeau's dad? |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/fidel-castro-justin-trudeau/ |website=The Daily Dot|date=30 September 2023 }}
Origin
Following Fidel Castro's death in November 2016, Justin Trudeau's office released a statement on the matter which stated that Castro was a "controversial figure" and that "both Mr. Castro's supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for [Castro]". This was criticized by conservatives for allegedly being too supportive of Castro. On conservative, pro-Trump online platforms, such as the Reddit community r/The_Donald, this criticism evolved into conspiracy theories alleging that the two were related.{{Cite web |author=Kasprak |first=Alex |title=Is Justin Trudeau Fidel Castro's Son? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trudeau-castro/ |website=Snopes|date=20 September 2024 }}
Further spread
The conspiracy theory gained further attention during the 2022 Canada convoy protest against Trudeau's administration's COVID-19 policies.{{Cite web |author=Hopper |first=Tristin |title=Why Fidel Castro is not Justin Trudeau's dad (even though he really, really looks like him) |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/why-fidel-castro-is-not-justin-trudeaus-dad-even-though-he-really-really-looks-like-him |website=National Post}} In a 2024 interview with livestreamer Adin Ross, Donald Trump said that the conspiracy theory "could be" accurate because "anything [is] possible in this world".
Evidence contradicting the conspiracy theory
There is significant evidence against the theory, including documentation that Pierre and Margaret Trudeau did not visit Cuba in the period when Justin Trudeau could have been conceived, and that they first visited the island after Justin was born. Additionally, the Trudeau family was subject to a large amount of media attention during Pierre's premiership, and therefore it is not likely that the family could have visited Cuba in secret.{{Cite web |title=No, Justin Trudeau is not Fidel Castro’s son - National {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4032280/justin-trudeau-is-not-fidel-castro-son/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}