US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on Canada as punishment for wildfire smoke clouding cities across North America.
President Trump complained about air quality on social media on Friday as Canadian officials continued to battle 896 fires burning across the country.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
About 200 fires are burning in Ontario, and Premier Doug Ford said 81 remain out of control. But President Trump blamed Canada’s governance for the fires.
“We are holding Canada accountable for the fact that it is not properly maintaining its forests and brush,” Trump wrote.
“The United States is being needlessly invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous and totally unacceptable!”
He promised to call Prime Minister Mark Carney and condemn the Canadian government’s inaction.
“The cost is incalculable,” Trump added, saying the cost would be added to existing tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States.
The post is the latest example of the U.S. president using the threat of higher tariffs to impose broad demands on foreign countries.
Since returning to the White House for a second term in January 2025, President Trump has ratcheted up pressure on Canada, using tariffs as a way to pressure Canada to tighten border security and change trade practices he considers unfair.
President Trump also called for Canada to cede sovereignty and become the “51st” state of the United States.
Scientists believe the spread of wildfires across North America is due to a variety of factors, including hotter and drier conditions exacerbated by climate change.
But right-wing President Trump has repeatedly blamed left-leaning and centrist politicians for mismanagement during massive wildfires.
For example, President Trump repeatedly attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2025 as the state was battling wildfires around the city of Los Angeles.
He blamed the fires on the state’s commitment to water management and endangered species protection.
“I call on this incompetent governor to get beautiful, clean, fresh water flowing into California! He is responsible for this,” Trump wrote at the time, but experts say his accusations had little basis in fact.
During his first term, Trump also attacked California, saying the state should have raked its forest floor to prevent wildfires.
“I said we’ve got to clean the floors, we’ve got to clean the forests,” Trump said at a 2020 rally.
Scientists say multiple factors can contribute to large wildfires, including high temperatures, drought and overly suppressive fire policies that prevent natural burns, resulting in grassy landscapes.
The risk of damage is also increasing as more people live in areas where wilderness and urban development intersect.
In mid-July, Ontario experienced the largest fire so far this year, merging several smaller fires in Wabakimi Provincial Park and destroying an Indigenous community.
Ontario Premier Ford announced Friday morning that 10 regions have been evacuated.
He thanked leaders across Canada as well as U.S. states such as Massachusetts and Minnesota for their support.
“Neighbors support each other, which is why Ontario is always there for our American partners when we need them,” he wrote on social media.
But Republicans, including President Trump and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, have used the recent fires to criticize Canada’s fire policy.
“Canada’s inability to mitigate, contain and prevent wildfires must be addressed,” Huizenga wrote on social media Thursday. “These annual fires have a significant negative impact not only on our health and quality of life, but also on our economic prosperity.”
On Friday, President Trump reiterated his position that the Canadian fires could have been prevented by debris removal.
“Canada has refused to engage in basic forest management and debris removal, knowing that such refusal would lead to this very outcome,” President Trump wrote.
“This is willful negligence, which occurs every year, and costs the United States billions of dollars. The cost of this pollution must necessarily be added to the tariffs Canada currently pays.”
Wildfire smoke is raising concerns about the possibility of hosting the FIFA World Cup finals in New Jersey this weekend.
But the Trump administration itself has faced backlash over its wildfire preparedness.
The New York Times reported Friday that the Trump administration has cut funding for wildfire research, including laboratories that study the effects of wildfire smoke on human health.
