Trump praises Tim Sheehy as senator calls Canada firefighting a “protectionist racket”

Trump montana's junior senator and former aerial firefighting executive accused Canada of blocking U.S. crews while sending subsidized aircraft south for commercial rates from U.S. taxpayers.

First Published: July 17, 2026, 6:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump endorsed Senator Tim Sheehy after the Montana Republican accused Canada of running its firefighting industry like a protectionist racket.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Tim Sheehy is GREAT. A Winner!!! President DJT”

Sheehy, the junior United States senator for Montana and a former waterbomber pilot who once led an aerial firefighting fleet, said the Canadian government misrepresents its position when it asks for help. ““Send help” is an extremely dishonest framing by the Canadian government,” Sheehy said in a post that Trump amplified on July 17, 2026 at 8:03 PM ET. The senator said Canada blocks U.S. firefighting companies from attacking fires across the border while sending its own government-subsidized aircraft south to earn commercial rates.

The post responded to remarks by Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, who told U.S. lawmakers upset about wildfire smoke to send support rather than complain. Sheehy framed the dispute as a trade issue, comparing Canada’s approach to what he called a Chinese protectionist racket. He said the arrangement amounts to big business funded by the U.S. taxpayer.

The stakes reach beyond a single fire season. U.S. firefighting contractors stand to gain if Canada opens its market to American aircraft and crews, while Canadian operators benefit from the current flow of contracts south. American taxpayers ultimately fund the commercial rates paid to foreign aircraft, giving the dispute a direct fiscal dimension.

Sheehy arrived at the Senate through one of the most expensive races in Montana history. He defeated three-term Democrat Jon Tester in November 2024, flipping the seat and cementing Republican control of every statewide office in Montana according to pbs.org. Spending on that contest topped $300 million, roughly $500 for each active voter, a record on a per-voter basis according to pbs.org. Sheehy, 38 at the time, founded an aerial firefighting company before entering politics, giving him direct experience with the industry he now criticizes according to pbs.org.

For the average U.S. reader, the fight touches summer air quality and the cost of federal wildfire response. Smoke from Canadian fires has drifted across the northern United States in recent years, prompting health advisories in major cities. The senator’s argument links that smoke to the terms under which firefighting aircraft cross the border.

Has this happened before? Cross-border firefighting cooperation between the United States and Canada has operated for decades under mutual-aid arrangements, and disputes over its fairness are new to the public debate. Sheehy’s framing of the exchange as an unfair trade practice marks a shift from the traditional view of the two countries sharing crews during severe seasons.

The next move rests with Congress and the Trump administration, which could review or renegotiate the terms of cross-border firefighting arrangements. No date for any formal decision has been announced. Trump has focused heavily on trade this summer, posting on tariffs eight times in the last 30 days according to Zenger analysis.

Montana senators have clashed with Washington power before. Tester, whom Sheehy defeated, won his own seat in 2006 by unseating three-term Republican Conrad Burns after a Washington lobbying scandal. He then served 18 years as the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Montana according to pbs.org. Burns, who lost after that scandal, never returned to elected office, a reminder of how quickly the state’s political fortunes can turn.