President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of Canada regarding the wildfire smoke blanketing U.S. cities, telling Prime Minister Mark Carney that Canada should "pay some damages" for the air pollution.
Trump stated on Sunday that he had spoken with Carney about the wildfires in Ontario, which have sent large plumes of smoke across the United States. "Our air's being poisoned," Trump said, adding, "If we can help them, we'll help them – but maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or [we] should do some tariffs."
The president highlighted the situation in Detroit, Michigan, where assembly line workers at Ford Motor's Michigan Assembly Plant were taken to hospitals by ambulance on Thursday due to poor air quality, according to the Detroit Free Press. Smoky conditions were also reported in Washington D.C. and New York City on Thursday evening, impacting many areas across the country as the National Weather Service issued air quality alerts in at least 16 states.
Earlier on Friday, Trump had stated on Truth Social that he was holding Canada responsible for "not properly maintaining their forests and brush." He described the air quality as "filthy, polluted, and unhealthy, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable." Trump claimed the cost of the pollution was "incalculable" and that it represented "willful negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States billions of dollars." He suggested this cost should be added to existing tariffs.
Some Republican allies, such as Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, supported Trump's stance, asserting that "Americans will not pay the price for the negligence of Canadian leaders."
However, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, offered a different perspective earlier in the week, commending "the outstanding cooperation between the United States and Canada as we confront these fires together." He noted that both governments were monitoring and sharing information in real-time.
In response to complaints from U.S. officials, Prime Minister Carney called for the U.S. to address climate change more directly, stating, "We need a contribution from the Americans in the fight against climate change... climate change is everyone's responsibility, including the U.S."
The wildfires originated after a July 6 thunderstorm caused over 1,000 lightning strikes across Northeast Minnesota and Canada, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The fires have burned nearly 68,956 acres and continue to spread, with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issuing an air quality alert through Monday due to expected unhealthy levels of fine particle pollution.
Atmospheric scientist Matthew Cappucci explained that the smoky air can contain longer-lasting compounds like benzene and formaldehyde, which are classified as human carcinogens. He noted that the microscopic particulates, known as PM2.5, can increase the risk of heart attack and respiratory issues. The smoke has added another strain to U.S.-Canada relations, which have already been impacted by previous trade disputes and Trump's past threats.
