President Donald Trump said Sunday that he confronted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney directly about the ongoing Ontario wildfire crisis, telling him that Canada needs to do more to bring the blazes under control.
Just one day after threatening to impose new tariffs on Canadian goods as punishment for the wildfire smoke drifting into the United States, Trump said he had a face-to-face conversation with Carney at the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, which both leaders attended.
“I have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but we’ve got to stop the fires up there,” Trump told reporters after returning from the game.
The president also suggested Canada could face financial consequences, adding: “Maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs.”
Hundreds of fires burning across Ontario have sent thick, choking smoke across a wide stretch of the country — from the Midwest through the Northeast and into the Mid-Atlantic region. The smoke began spreading Thursday, triggering days of public health warnings urging residents to stay inside as much as possible.
Carney’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Trump’s statements.
On Saturday, Carney posted on X that Canada has more than 5,300 firefighting personnel deployed and is using advanced data tools and thermal imaging technology to help detect and combat the fires in real time.
Canadian government data shows approximately 5.9 million acres — about 2.4 million hectares — have already burned during this wildfire season. Climate scientists note that increasing global temperatures are making wildfires more frequent and more intense around the world.
