President Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke drifting across the border, blaming Ottawa for failing to manage its forests as hazardous air conditions spread across much of the eastern United States.
More than 100 million people in 18 states and the District of Columbia are under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets cities from Minneapolis to Washington. “Very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality readings stretch from northeast Minnesota to southeast Virginia, disrupting daily life and threatening the World Cup final scheduled for New Jersey.
“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 on Truth Social.
He said he would call Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand action, and suggested the “cost of this pollution” could be added to the tariffs Canada is already paying.
“This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying,” he wrote.
The threat lands in an already strained trade relationship. The US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Trump could not use emergency powers to levy tariffs, forcing the administration to use other statutes that require lengthy investigations and public comment periods. The administration also declined to renew the USMCA trade agreement in its current form earlier this month.
Trump has frequently pushed false claims blaming the mismanagement of rival politicians for large wildfires. In this case, the fires are burning in Canada, a country whose government he has repeatedly clashed with over trade, defense spending, and diplomatic issues since taking office.
Carney’s government has not yet responded to Trump’s latest demand. Canadian officials have previously noted that wildfire prevention and management are complicated by climate conditions and that many of the fires burning this season are in remote areas where suppression is difficult and dangerous.
The smoke crisis threatens to disrupt the World Cup final, the biggest sporting event the United States has hosted in years. Organizers are monitoring air quality conditions closely, with contingency plans being discussed if conditions do not improve by game day.
Whether Trump can legally add “pollution costs” to existing tariffs is another question entirely. The president’s record on trade policy has been marked by bold announcements followed by legal challenges, and this threat follows a familiar pattern: identify a problem, blame a foreign government, announce sweeping retaliation, and let the courts sort out the details.