Washington DC - Canada is facing a dire threat from President Donald Trump, who said he plans to "punish" Ottawa for its handling of recent wildfires on the US border.
"I have," Trump said aboard Air Force One when asked by a reporter whether he has decided on how to punish Canada. "You'll find out about it."
He provided no further elaboration on what his government plans to do in response to wildfires along the Canada-US border which have spewed thick smoke across much of the US' north.
References to "punishment" against Canada come as US and Canadian authorities continue to battle fires on both sides of the border, blazes Republicans have repeatedly blamed on Ottawa.
Last month, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada due to what he called "willful negligence" by Ottawa.
He said they were "not properly maintaining" their forests and had failed to carry out "basic Forest Management and Debris Removal."
During the FIFA World Cup final on July 19, Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the ongoing wildfire crisis, insisting he do more to "stop these fires from coming in and poisoning our air."
Last week, Trump went on post an AI-generated picture on social media suggesting the US construct a border wall air "filter" to keep out wildfire smoke from Canada.
It is unclear what the "punishment" is that Trump referred to aboard Air Force One, but based on these previous comments as well as recent history, it could be some form of tariff.
"Extreme heatwaves and record-breaking dry conditions are creating one of the most intense wildfire seasons in Canadian history," Carney wrote in a statement to X on July 22.
"We are mobilizing more than 5,300 firefighters and nearly 300 water bombers, helicopters, and evacuation aircraft to contain, control, and mitigate the fires."