Justin Trudeau finds himself deep in doughnut drama after photo takes off online

A photo of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Winnipeg-based doughnut shop has proved to be a lightning rod among pastry-enthusiastic onlookers online.

The confectionery controversy began when Trudeau tweeted a photo of himself carrying boxes out of the Oh Doughnuts shop in Winnipeg. “Picked up some of Winnipeg’s best to keep us going through another full day of Cabinet meetings,” the Prime Minister wrote. “Thanks for the fuel, @OhDoughnuts. #shoplocal”

The doughnut shop responded to Trudeau’s post with its own tweet thanking him for his visit. “We can confirm he carried these out the door. Pretty sure Health Canada would agree everything is okay in moderation,” the shop said.

Some rushed to praise the Prime Minister, celebrating his support for a local business. Others criticized him for what they viewed as an overly “expensive” doughnut purchase.

Trudeau appeared to be carrying five large boxes of doughnuts with two smaller boxes on top. According to Oh Doughnuts’ website, an assortment of 12 “regular doughnuts” costs $35 Canadian ($26.61 in US dollars), with assortments of 12 “specialty doughnuts” running as high as $47 Canadian ($35.73 USD).

Those prices rattled some social media users, who chided the Prime Minister for not favoring a cheaper alternative.

“I guess Tim’s isnt good enough at $10 a dozen,” one Twitter user wrote in an apparent reference to the Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons. “Nothing says I am middle class than $47 a dozen donuts. Just another elitist selfie moment.”

Others pushed back.

Canadian comedian Tommy Campbell thanked Trudeau on Twitter for “buying local at a place that actually makes donuts.”

In response to the flair-up, Oh Doughnuts launched a tweet thread outlining its business practices and explaining its prices.

“We are locally owned;employ 30+ staff who enjoy breaks and have the option of joining a benefit plan;we use local butter, eggs and flour;our doughnuts are made fresh daily;we do our best to pay a living wage & never pay minimum wage,” the company said.

“Our pricing reflects our respect for our employees, the environment and our commitment to quality, local goods. We are a small biz that really appreciated the sale on a cold Jan Mon.”