But towards the end of the article, she was asked about the US election and said she “would have voted for [Trump] because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest”.

“Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn’t be able to have both. If I were voting, I just don’t want bullshit. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?”

While the quote didn’t lead the article, it was picked up by other outlets and shared widely on social media before Twain issued a series of tweets apologising for the statement.

“I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended,” she wrote. “The question caught me off guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context.