MONTREAL (AFP) - Canada's national public broadcaster confirmed it had cut out United States President Donald Trump's cameo from the movie Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, but said after a social media outcry that the edit was made before he was elected.

When CBC recently aired the 1992 Christmas film, some viewers and Canadian media outlets noticed Mr Trump's scene had been cut out and wanted to know why - especially because the US leader had said last week it was an "honour" 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, Mr Thompson said.

Many social media users accused CBC of making a politically motivated decision and Mr 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 last Thursday night (Dec 26) 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!" Mr Trump lamented, before clarifying "(Just kidding.)"

Mr 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 is 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 Mr Trump.

The real estate mogul had purchased the Plaza Hotel in New York - the setting of many movie scenes, including in Home Alone 2 - in the 1990s.