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/'Filthy, polluted air': Trump threatens Canada with higher tariffs over wildfire smoke

'Filthy, polluted air': Trump threatens Canada with higher tariffs over wildfire smoke

Edited By Moohita Kaur Garg

Published: Jul 18, 2026, 06:10 IST | Updated: Jul 18, 2026, 06:10 IST

'Filthy, polluted air': Trump threatens Canada with higher tariffs over wildfire smoke

The US Capitol, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial are seen through haze caused by wildfire smoke from Canada from the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia on July 17, 2026. Inset: Donald Trump Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP)

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President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian goods, accusing Ottawa of failing to manage its forests and allowing wildfire smoke to pollute air across the United States, though he did not explain the legal basis for such a move.

US President Donald Trump has opened a new front in his tariff campaign, this time targeting wildfire smoke drifting south from Canada. In a post on Truth Social on Friday (Jul 17), Trump accused Canada of failing to manage its forests, saying smoke from the country's raging wildfires had polluted the air across parts of the United States. He warned that the economic cost of the smoke would be added to tariffs already imposed on Canadian goods.

"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, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!" Trump wrote.

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He said he planned to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later in the day to ask what Ottawa intended to do about the fires. "I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable!" Trump added.

Trump went on to accuse Canada of refusing to carry out proper forest management and debris removal, calling it "willful negligence" and claiming the problem had become an annual burden for Americans. "The cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying," he wrote.

Wildfire smoke blankets parts of the US

Trump's remarks come as smoke from hundreds of active wildfires in Canada continues to spread across large parts of North America. According to NASA, nearly 850 active wildfires are burning across Canada, including more than 180 in Ontario. Smoke from the blazes has drifted into the United States, prompting air quality alerts across more than 20 states, from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast.

Residents in several cities have been advised to limit outdoor activities as fine particulate matter from the smoke pushed air quality into unhealthy categories.

Also read | Wildfire smoke from Canada will soon spread across US Midwest and East

Notably, the situation is not limited to Canada. More than 150 wildfires are also burning across the United States, including several in Michigan, according to Politico. Experts say a combination of prolonged dry conditions and a record-breaking heat wave across parts of North America has created ideal conditions for wildfires to spread.