Trump rips Canada as wildfire smoke spreads, says U.S. will add pollution cost to tariffs

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 adequately address the fires, which have sent air quality to dangerous levels in major U.S. cities for multiple days.

The 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.

Trump added that 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.

While climate scientists warn that human-influenced climate change is leading to an increase in wildfires and other extreme weather events, the Trump administration in recent months has moved to dismantle government labs researching wildfire smoke and its effects, the New York Times reported.

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 said in an X post.

The post also directed Americans to visit AirNow's Fire and Smoke map for the latest information.