WASHINGTON — President Trump said he put Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on notice over the raging wildfires that have “poisoned” the air in the US — insisting that our northern neighbors owe “damages.”
Trump spoke to the Canadian leader at the FIFA World Cup final that they both attended on Sunday.
“I told them, I mean, ‘You got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air,’” Trump recounted to reporters at Joint Base Andrews Sunday during his return trip from the big game.
“Our air has been poisoned,” he went on. “Have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but you know we got to stop the fires up there. 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.“
Several lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.), have unveiled legislation to penalize Canada for failing to prevent or mitigate the wildfires.
There had been over 949 wildfires raging in Canada over recent weeks, including in the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.
Many of the major wildfires in Canada are believed to have stemmed from some 1,000 lightning strikes across the country around July 6. Over 68,956 acres of forest are estimated to have been burned.
Smoke from those infernos pushed air quality in numerous states into the hazardous range.
“I’ve never remembered this happening,” Trump added. “Over the last four or five years, you saw it starting to take place. I never remembered it happening before.”
Trump has long contended that proper forest management is needed to prevent major wildfires. He previously made that point during the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.
Last Friday, Trump, 80, claimed on Truth Social that he had a call with Carney, 61, in which he suggested he was going to ramp up tariffs in response to the US “being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air.”
“The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result,” he further fumed at the time. “This is Willful Negligence.”
Around the time of the Truth Social post, the wildfire smoke had blanked DC, masking the view of many of the key national monuments with thick smog.
Ironically, Carney tried to place more onus on the US, contending that climate change is the greater culprit.
“We need a contribution from the Americans in the fight against climate change,” he argued at a press conference last week. “Climate change is everyone’s responsibility, including the US.”
Trump and Carney have had an at times acrimonious relationship, particularly due to the US president’s penchant for slapping tariffs on Canada and periodically musing about making it the 51st state.
The two leaders sat in the same box together at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, as the three host nations for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
Ultimately, Spain eked out a 1–0 win in a thrilling competition that went into overtime.
