President Donald Trump is using wildfire smoke from Canada to threaten tariffs.
Trump blasted Canada in a post on Truth Social on Friday, accusing America’s northern neighbor of mismanaging its forests and causing the current bout of wildfires that are sending waves of smoke into the US.
“The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote, adding, “The cost is incalculable!”
The president said it was becoming an annual occurrence and was costing the US billions, though it’s unclear what that figure was based on. He said the cost of the pollution must be added to the tariffs Canada is already paying.
Wildfires across parts of central Canada have sent heavy smoke through the Midwest and Northeast this week, triggering high levels of air pollution, including in Washington, D.C.
Republican lawmakers have blamed Canada’s forest management practices for the plumes and are pressuring the country to act.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, said he would introduce a bill next week to sanction Canada and its government officials, sharing a post about air pollution in Cleveland. Rep. Nick Langworthy from New York said he was reaching out to Canadian officials to encourage them to act.
“Canada must take meaningful action to prevent these catastrophic wildfires and protect both Canadians and Americans,” he wrote on X. “If it refuses to do so, there should be consequences.”
A group of four Republican representatives from Michigan sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week calling on him to take action.
“We are done accepting apologies in place of action. If Canada will not manage its forests to prevent these fires, the United States will look elsewhere, and act on our own, to protect our people,” the letter said.
Canada has over 800 active wildfires burning, with the vast majority labeled “out of control,” according to government officials. American cities, including New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis, have been hit by the subsequent haze.
The pressure on Canada comes as its relationship with the US is already strained. The close allies have clashed over Trump’s tariffs and his expressed wish to make the country the 51st US state.