Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke, threatens higher tariffs

President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Canada for the wildfire smoke drifting across large parts of the United States, saying the “incalculable cost” of dealing with the pollution should be added to existing tariffs on Canadian goods.

Smoke from hundreds of wildfires blanketed areas from the Midwest to the Northeast on Thursday and Friday, prompting health officials to urge residents to stay indoors.

Trump, who has had a tense relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, said he planned to call the Canadian leader over what he described as a “totally unacceptable” situation.

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their forests … and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added that the situation amounted to “willful negligence” and had become an annual occurrence costing the United States billions of dollars.

“The cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the tariffs Canada is currently paying,” Trump said.

Climate scientists dispute that characterization, pointing instead to rising global temperatures as the main driver of increasingly severe wildfire seasons.

“As our climate warms, we’re seeing hotter, drier, windier and more extreme weather, and we’re going to see more fire,” said Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.

Trump imposed tariffs on several major Canadian imports shortly after returning to office in 2025.

Carney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Thursday, Carney said the United States could do more to address climate change, which is contributing to warmer temperatures and more extreme weather worldwide.

The two leaders are expected to meet at the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday.

Ontario wildfire crisis intensifies

Many of Canada’s largest fires this year are burning in Ontario, particularly in the remote, sparsely populated northwest, where many communities are accessible only by air.

About 650,000 acres (2,630 sq km) are currently burning in the province, up from roughly 600,000 acres at the same point last year. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

The Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, was destroyed by fire, forcing residents to flee by boat before being taken to Thunder Bay.

“There was nothing remaining. So as you can imagine, the membership is totally distraught, upset, overwhelmed, lost,” incident commander Matthew Hoppe told Reuters.

Thunder Bay, a city of about 110,000 on the northern shore of Lake Superior, is operating at full capacity after taking in wildfire evacuees from across northwestern Ontario, Mayor Ken Boshcoff said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Friday that the province will purchase 11 new aircraft to strengthen its wildfire response, while rejecting criticism from U.S. politicians that Ontario’s firefighting efforts have been inadequate.

The United States is also facing an active wildfire season. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, about 3.7 million acres have burned so far in 2026, compared with the 10-year average of 2.7 million acres.