By "trick question", people usually mean the questions that won't occur in real job. This does not seem the case here.

I have no idea what the OP's actual questions was, but as a made-up example: If the problem is solvable with static sqlite database copied to every node during deployment, but candidate suggests master-master postgres cluster instead, I would not want them. I shudder just thinking what kind of monstrosity they'd build if hired.

Maybe different people use the term differently? To me a trick question is one where answering it requires intuiting some specific secret to solving the problem. In this case, it would be intuiting that, unlike most interviewers, this one wants you to give a simple solution instead of showing off your knowledge of system design techniques.