President Donald Trump accused Canada of willful negligence for sending wildfire smoke into the United States and said the costs should be added to tariffs on Canadian imports.
In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump said America is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air. He wrote that Canada has refused basic forest management and that the pollution costs, which he said run into billions of dollars, must be added to existing tariffs.
Trump said he planned to call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later that day to discuss a solution. Nearly 900 wildfires are burning across Canada after a major wave erupted over the past two weeks.
The smoke triggered air quality advisories for more than 100 million people in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Major League Baseball postponed Friday night’s Guardians-Pittsburgh Pirates game in Cleveland after air quality reached the very unhealthy category.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by urging politicians to send support rather than complain. As of Friday evening, Prime Minister Carney had not publicly replied.