Smoke from large wildfires in Canada engulf the New York Metropolis skyline, lowering visibility and casting an orange haze over the town, July 16, 2026.
Selcuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Photographs
President Donald Trump on Friday blasted Canada for wildfires enveloping swaths of the US in a smoky haze, and mentioned he would add the prices of that air pollution to current tariffs.
Calling the scenario “completely unacceptable,” Trump accused Ottawa of failing to handle what he mentioned had been the causes of the fires, which have despatched air high quality to harmful ranges in main U.S. cities in current days.
The prices inflicted on the U.S. on account of the air air pollution “should of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is at present paying,” Trump wrote in a Reality Social publish.
Trump added that he plans to name Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later Friday “to seek out out what they will do about it.”
Carney, in an X publish Wednesday, mentioned the wildfires have “escalated considerably” in current weeks, significantly in Northwestern Ontario, the place 1000’s of individuals have been compelled to evacuate.
The poor situations have raised questions on potential impacts on the FIFA World Cup closing, which is about to happen Sunday in northeast New Jersey. Trump, who’s slated to attend the match between Spain and Argentina, traveled to New York Metropolis on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower.
Whereas local weather scientists warn that human-influenced local weather change is resulting in a rise in wildfires and different excessive climate occasions, the Trump administration in current months has moved to dismantle authorities labs researching wildfire smoke and its results, the New York Occasions reported.
Lee Zeldin, who heads the U.S. Environmental Safety Company, mentioned Friday that the “impacts of the Canadian wildfires are inflicting nice concern and hurt throughout the US.”
The EPA is in communication with Canada’s management and can “strongly encourage them to do all the things of their energy to extinguish these fires as quick as doable,” Zeldin mentioned in an X publish.
The publish additionally directed People to go to AirNow’s Hearth and Smoke map for the most recent data.
