Smoke from massive wildfires in Canada engulf the New York City skyline, reducing visibility and casting an orange haze over the city, July 16, 2026.
Selcuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Friday blasted Canada for wildfires enveloping swaths of the United States in a smoky haze and said he would add the costs of that pollution to existing tariffs.
Calling the situation “totally unacceptable,” Trump accused Ottawa of failing to address what he said were the causes of the fires in Canada, whose smoke has sent air quality to dangerous levels in major U.S. cities in recent days.
The billions of dollars in costs inflicted on the U.S. as a result of the air pollution “must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air,” Trump wrote.
He said he plans to call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later Friday “to find out what they are going to do about it.”
Carney, in an X post Wednesday, said the wildfires have “escalated significantly” in recent weeks, particularly in Northwestern Ontario, where thousands of people have been forced to evacuate.
The poor conditions have raised questions about potential impacts on the FIFA World Cup final, which is set to take place Sunday in northeastern New Jersey. Trump, who is slated to attend the match, between Spain and Argentina, traveled to New York City on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower.
Scientists have warned that human-influenced climate change is leading to more wildfires and other extreme weather events.
Shortly after Trump posted about Canada on Truth Social, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration in recent months has moved to dismantle government labs researching wildfire smoke and its effects.
Lee Zeldin, who heads the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Friday that the “impacts of the Canadian wildfires are causing great concern and harm across the United States.”
The EPA is in communication with Canada’s leadership and will “strongly encourage them to do everything in their power to extinguish these fires as fast as possible,” Zeldin wrote in a post on X.
The post also directed Americans to visit AirNow’s Fire and Smoke map for the latest information.
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