MONTREAL — Canada's national public broadcaster confirmed on Thursday it had cut out US President Donald Trump's cameo from the movie "Home Alone 2," but said after a social media outcry that the edit was made before he was elected.

When the CBC recently aired the 1992 Christmas film, some viewers and Canadian media outlets noticed Trump's scene had been cut out and wanted to know why — especially because the US leader had said on Tuesday it was an "honor" to be involved in the movie.

"As is often the case with feature films adapted for television, 'Home Alone 2' was edited for time," said CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson.

"The scene with Donald Trump was one of several that were cut from the movie as none of them were integral to the plot. These edits were done in 2014, when we first acquired the film and before Mr Trump was elected president" in 2016, Thompson said.

Many social media users accused the CBC of making a politically motivated decision, and Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that he thought the move was "pathetic."

But the US president seemed to find the kerfuffle amusing, taking to Twitter on Thursday night to quip about his Canadian counterpart: "I guess Justin T doesn't much like my making him pay up on NATO or Trade!"

"The movie will never be the same!" Trump lamented, before clarifying "(Just kidding.)"

Trump appears very briefly in "Home Alone 2."

Young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), forgotten by his family, struggles to navigate the gilded hotel where he's staying for the holidays.

He stops a man wearing a long black overcoat and a red tie to ask him how to get to the lobby.

"Down the hall and to the left," says Donald Trump.

The real estate mogul had purchased the Plaza Hotel in New York — the setting of many movie scenes, including several in "Home Alone 2" — at the start of the 1990s. — AFP