Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Donald Trump makes a brief appearance in the film, in which Macaulay Culkin (centre) starred

Canada's national broadcaster CBC has defended deleting a scene featuring Donald Trump from the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said eight minutes of the 120-minute film had been trimmed to make way for adverts.

He said the edits were made in 2014, before Mr Trump was elected, and were not politically motivated.

The edited film was shown by CBC earlier this month, prompting criticism from Mr Trump's supporters.

His son Donald Trump Jr tweeted a link to a story on Thursday that called the edit 'pathetic'.

President Trump reacted late on Thursday, tweeting that "the movie will never be the same! (just kidding)".

In a reference to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and well-documented disagreements between the two leaders on major policy issues, Mr Trump also quipped: "I guess Justin T doesn't much like my making him pay up on Nato or trade!"

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Trump is on his best behaviour, but is everyone else?

On Christmas Eve, Mr Trump described Home Alone 2, which was released in 1992, as "a big Christmas hit" during a video conference call to US troops overseas, according to Deadline website.

"Well I'm in Home Alone 2," Mr Trump said. "A lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas. They say - especially young kids- they say, 'I just saw you on the movie.' They don't see me on television as they do in the movie.

"But it's been a good movie and I was a little younger, to put it mildly. And it was an honour to do it."

Mr Trump has made a number of cameo appearances in films, including Zoolander and Ghosts Can't Do It.

In Home Alone 2's uncut version, he is briefly seen in a scene at New York's Plaza Hotel, when Macaulay Culkin's character Kevin asks him for directions. Mr Trump was the hotel's owner at the time.