Trump takes latest swipe at Canada, suggesting the US should build a border wall to keep smoke out

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of a giant air filter along the U.S.-Canada border, calling it the 'North America Air Filter Barrier' with the slogan 'Clean Air. Clear Borders,' as he escalated threats to impose tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke. Trump told reporters Friday he would 'put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke,' following a 50 percent tariff on Canadian products imposed Monday.

Trump takes latest swipe at Canada, suggesting the US should build a border wall to keep smoke out An AI slop image of a giant air filter separating the countries includes a sign with the slogan ‘Clean Air. Clear Borders’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments President Donald Trump followed up his repeated threats to impose tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke /news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-tariffs-wildfire-smoke-b3017268.html with a blast of social media hot air Saturday. Trump trolled America's northern neighbor /news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-us-bridge-ceremony-b3021221.html by posting an AI slop image /news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-ai-meme-uno-rules-b2970064.html of a giant pleated air filter along the U.S. border with Canada. A sign at the base of the imaginary structure — reminiscent of the still-unfinished border wall /news/world/americas/us-politics/border-wall-big-bend-texas-flooding-b2999361.html with Mexico that Trump made a cornerstone of his winning 2016 campaign — calls it the "North America Air Filter Barrier" and carries the slogan, "Clean Air. Clear Borders." But in an apparent AI instruction error, the image shows bright blue skies and puffy white clouds on both sides of the massive air purifier. A spokesperson for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney didn't immediately return an inquiry from The Independent . On Monday, Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian products over what he called Canada's "discrimination" against U.S. commerce. He’s also threatened additional tariffs over the wildfire smoke that drifted from Canada into the U.S. earlier this month, causing unhealthy air in cities including Detroit, New York and Washington, D.C. The latest threat came Friday, when he told reporters in the Oval Office, "We're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke," according to the CBC/Radio-Canada https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-vows-wildfire-smoke-tariffs-canada-9.7282977 . The U.S. Supreme Court in February overruled earlier tariffs that Trump imposed on Canada. Trump has been picking fights with Canada since shortly after winning a second term in 2024, suggesting the U.S. would annex the Great White North and turn it into the 51st state. He mockingly referred to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau /news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-justin-trudeau-canada-b2661925.html as the "Governor of the Great State of Canada" and has likewise called Trudeau’s successor Carney the "future Governor of Canada." Canadians responded to the mistreatment with a "Buy Canadian" boycott that resulted in a 21.5 percent drop in vacation travel to the U.S. last year, Canada's Global News https://globalnews.ca/news/11975558/canada-us-travel-statcan/ website reported Wednesday. Canadian provinces also barred government-run liquor stores from selling American spirits, resulting in a nearly 70 percent plunge in U.S. exports of Kentucky bourbon and other booze to what was once American distillers' second-largest market, Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-whiskey-exports-canada-collapse-nearly-70-after-trump-tariff-fight reported in March. A recent Pew Research Center poll also found that 79 percent of Canadians have no confidence in Trump’s leadership /news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-opinion-polling-carney-b3019642.html , despite a recent Gallup survey that showed 80 percent of Americans held a positive view of Canada. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments comments-area