President Donald Trump has escalated his response to Canadian wildfires that have blanketed the northeastern United States in hazardous smoke, demanding compensation from Ottawa during a face-to-face meeting at the World Cup final. The unusual call for damages adds a new dimension to ongoing trade tensions between the two neighbors. Main Developments Trump told reporters after returning to Washington that he discussed the wildfires with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday at the World Cup match, which the smoke had threatened to disrupt. The president suggested Canada should pay damages or face tariffs, saying, “We got to stop the fires up there... maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs.” Dense wildfire smoke from Canada and northern Minnesota has triggered unhealthy air quality alerts across the US, with haze obscuring landmarks like the US Capitol and Washington Monument in Arlington, Virginia. On Friday, Trump accused Canada of “wilful negligence” and declared that “the cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.” Read also: 3 Key Factors Behind Pakistan's 13.77% Drop in Non-Textile Exports in FY26 Background The Trump administration has previously imposed tariffs on Canada over trade disputes, and the president has now linked those trade measures to the environmental crisis. The wildfires burning across Canada have produced smoke plumes that drift south, affecting air quality in densely populated US regions. Trump characterized his relationship with Carney as good, yet still pressed the financial demand. Why It Matters This marks one of the first instances where a US leader has explicitly tied natural disaster impacts to trade penalties, potentially setting a precedent for how cross-border environmental harms are addressed. The move could strain US-Canada relations further, especially as both nations grapple with the economic and health costs of wildfire smoke that respects no border. What's Next No formal response from Canada’s government has been reported following Trump’s remarks. The president’s threat of additional tariffs on Canadian goods remains pending, and further discussions between the two leaders may follow as wildfire season continues across Canada.