Much of the eastern U.S. is still suffering under a pall of Canadian smoke, which is irritating and possibly dangerous, and it annoyingly doesn't even smell of maple syrup and poutine, as one might expect. No, this smoke is nasty, could cause health problems in the elderly, the very young, and anyone with compromised respiratory systems.
On Friday, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social account to call Canada out for improper forest management, which may well have led to the fires.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 17, 2026
The president writes:
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! I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
He's not kidding about the air quality.
What's up, Canada? pic.twitter.com/i1Zrx8blCm
— Ward Clark (@TheGreatLander) July 17, 2026
Seeing this is enough to make the present "50 degrees and rain" in south-central Alaska at the moment seem pretty tolerable indeed.
Earlier on Friday, my colleague Teri Christophe, who unfortunately is in the affected area of the eastern U.S., wrote of the ill effects of all the Canadian smoke.
Read More: Clouds of Toxic Canadian Crud Are Once Again Blanketing U.S.
Teri writes:
Many Americans are waking up Friday to find heavy blankets of smoke hanging over their houses and air quality warnings popping up on their phones telling them not to go outside lest they succumb to the toxic crud.
Is it the apocalypse? No, it's the Canadians.
Now, the U.S., being on the receiving end of this sludge, may be firing back, so to speak, although as of this writing, President Trump hasn't come back with any commentary on any conversation with the Canadian government.
Here's the thing: In a country as big as Canada, with a population of about 44 million, most of whom live within a hundred miles of the U.S. border, the government won't be able to prevent every fire. But that's no reason not to use the same forest-management practices that California is also ignoring, at least in settled areas. Keep brush and undergrowth to a minimum. Use controlled burns as necessary. Cut firebreaks in large tracts. Canada has a huge belt of taiga, the great northern conifer forest, and it's up to them to manage it.
If not, well, President Trump isn't one to suffer unfair economic costs lightly.
Read More: Trump Rejects USMCA Renewal, Forces New Canada-Mexico Trade Talks
Wildfires happen. They happen every year, somewhere or other. They always have. They always will. In fact, fire is an essential part of the life cycle of many kinds of pine forests, as their seed cones won't open and emit the seeds until they are exposed to fire. But that can be achieved with a controlled burn as well as with a massive, smoke-spewing wildfire.
This seems appropriate.
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