By
July 17, 2026 / 9:02 PM EDT
/ CBS News
Add CBS News on Google
President Trump on Friday threatened additional tariffs on Canada for wildfires that have blanketed large parts of the Midwest and East Coast in smoke in recent days, blaming the U.S.' northern neighbor for failing to contain the blazes."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!" the president wrote on Truth Social, accusing Canada of "Willful Negligence."He went on to write that the problem is "costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying."Mr. Trump said he would discuss the matter with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.Asked about the president's comments, Carney's office referred CBS News to a statement from Canadian Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski that said the country is "working with urgency alongside provincial and territorial partners." She also said Canada has spent billions of dollars on forest fire prevention in recent years."Canada and the United States have a long history of working together to fight wildfires on both sides of the border — it is a history that both countries benefit from and that we are building on during this challenging wildfire season," Olszewski wrote in her statement, pointing to Canadian firefighters' role in assisting with last year's Los Angeles wildfires.Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra also praised the "outstanding cooperation between the United States and Canada" in fighting the "shared challenge" of wildfires. On Friday, Hoekstra shared Mr. Trump's social media post criticizing Canada.
