Trump renews wildfire tariff threat against Canada after sitting with PM Carney at World Cup

U.S. President Donald Trump hasn't backed down from threats to tariff Canada over wildfire smoke, even after sitting alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney during Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Sunday night, Trump said he has a good relationship with Carney but maintained that Canada needs to stop the fires. "You got to stop these fires from coming in and you know poisoning our air. Our air has been poisoned," Trump said.

Trump suggested Canada should either pay damages or face U.S. tariffs. "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." It remains unclear what authority Trump would rely on to impose new tariffs on Canada.

Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney watched the soccer match from a glassed-in suite alongside Trump, his wife Melania, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has been triggering air quality warnings across Ontario and multiple U.S. states, including Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New York and Indiana. Trump leveled the accusation last week, accusing Canada of "wilful negligence" and claiming poor forest management and debris removal are costing the U.S. billions of dollars.

Carney has dismissed the criticism, saying Thursday that Canada is pursuing investments in clean energy while the U.S. is actively working against it. Ontario Premier Doug Ford countered over the weekend that the U.S. has a "very short memory," reminding critics that Canada supported California during devastating wildfires in January 2025. "That's what neighbours do. You don't get on and start threatening and criticizing," Ford said.