President Donald Trump said he would soon reveal his “punishment” for Canada over the wildfires that have blanketed parts of the U.S. with smoke in recent weeks, triggering air quality warnings across the country.
Trump has accused Canada of mismanaging its forests and previously vowed the country would be “held responsible” for the smoke that has drifted south. He renewed the threats Sunday evening in a gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One.
“On Canada, have you decided on a punishment yet for the wildfire smoke?” one reporter asked him.
“I have, yeah,” he replied. “You’ll find out about it.”
Trump did not elaborate further, but previously threatened to impose additional tariffs on Canada in response to the fires, complaining of “being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted and unhealthy air.”
“Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal,” Trump said. “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
There are 838 active fires in Canada as of August 2, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, with 165 of them categorized as “out of control.”
Trump has sought to blame Canada for the fires, ignoring evidence from experts that climate change is driving more extreme weather and is making wildfires even more deadly.
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hit out at Trump’s claims last month. “No, Mr. Trump, Canada is not ‘poisoning our air,’” he wrote on X. “Climate change is fueling more wildfires, heat waves, floods and other extreme weather.”
“Stop blaming our allies and start standing up to your friends in Big Oil, who are driving the climate crisis,” Sanders added.
Smoke from the fires last month resulted in hazardous levels of air quality across the U.S., putting dozens of states under air quality alerts.
It comes as the U.S. is battling its own wildfires in Washington state, with three blazes in the Spokane region having forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
Smoke from the fires in the Pacific Northwest is forecast to push west, affecting air quality in Portland, Oregon, and Salem, Oregon. The smoke is also forecast to reach the California coast late Monday into Tuesday.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he spoke with the president about the fires over the weekend.
“The President is aware of the situation, and expressed his concern for the people of Washington during this difficult time,” Ferguson said. “We will be working together on additional requests for federal assistance.”
