Trump Threatens to Block US–Canada Bridge
Trump’s 3 demands threaten to delay the Gordie Howe International Bridge, escalating US–Canada trade tensions and sparking backlash in Michigan.
Following a "clear and direct" conversation between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney, the White House has demanded that Canada share "rights" and ownership of the new bridge connecting the two countries.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects the Canadian province of Ontario with the US state of Michigan, will not open until Ottawa "treats the United States with the fairness and respect we deserve," Trump previously wrote on social media.
The bridge is being funded by the Canadian government, but it will be owned by both Canada and Michigan.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that he had a "positive" conversation with Trump and reminded him that Canada had funded the bridge.
Carney said he also reminded the president that it was built by US and Canadian workers and with steel from both countries.
"This is a great example of cooperation between our countries, and I look forward to its opening," he told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday. He said Trump asked US Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who is from Michigan, to "play a role in facilitating negotiations on and around the bridge."
Speaking to reporters at the White House a few hours after the call, Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said Trump "does not approve" of Canada's ownership of land on both sides of the bridge.
She added, "He [Trump] also believes the US should own at least half of the bridge, have shared rights to everything that passes over it, and share in the economic benefits of US use."
It's unclear how Trump could prevent it from opening, but in his initial post, he said negotiations would begin immediately, without providing further details.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was pleased to hear about the Trump-Carney call, and said he was "confident" the bridge would open as planned because it was in the best interests of both countries' economies.
On Monday, Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin said that halting a "much-needed infrastructure project" would be "very bad for our state's economy."
She said in a post on X that the move could have "serious consequences": "higher costs for Michigan businesses, a less secure supply chain, and ultimately, fewer jobs."
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Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who was in office during the negotiations and the first stages of construction, called the arrangement "a great deal for America" in an op-ed published in the Detroit News. Republican Snyder added, "Stopping the bridge will primarily harm Americans."
The bridge, which spans the Detroit River and is named after the late Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe, who played for the Detroit Red Wings, is expected to open to traffic early this year, pending formal testing and approval.
Construction began in 2018, but the project has been a bone of contention between the countries for more than a decade.
It is estimated to have cost $6.4 billion CAD (£3.4 billion).
The bridge's construction agency, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, is a Canadian federal Crown corporation, an entity that is wholly owned by the government but operates at arm's length.
Trump wrote: "The Canadian government expects me, as President of the United States, to simply allow them to 'take advantage of America'!"
He added, "I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States receives full compensation for everything we have done."
He also accused former President Barack Obama of allowing construction to begin without using any US steel.
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But Drew Dilkens, mayor of Windsor, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the bridge, said the accusation was false.
"This is just crazy," he said. "I really can't believe what I'm reading."
On Fox Business on Tuesday, Trump's trade chief, Jamieson Greer, said the discussions the president mentioned in his social media posts were specifically about the bridge and ensuring that the US received revenue from economic activity like tolls.
The Moroun family—the American owners of the nearby Ambassador Bridge, which also connects Detroit to Canada—had appealed to Trump during his first term to halt construction of the new bridge, arguing that it violated their exclusive ability to collect tolls.
In response, Trump and then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement stating that the bridge was an "essential economic link" between the two countries.
Michigan's Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, responded to Trump's threat to close the bridge, saying it was good for jobs in her state.
Whitmer's press secretary, Stacey LaRouche, said, "This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation." Trump on Monday pointed to recent trade disputes between the two countries, saying, "The tariffs Canada imposes on our dairy products have been unacceptable for many years."
He also said that the trade deal signed between Canada and China last month would "eat Canada alive."
Trump added: "China will be the first country to shut down all ice hockey in Canada, and take away the Stanley Cup forever."
But Slotkin responded by saying that Canada was about to sign a trade deal with China because Trump had "harassed them for a year."
He further stated that Canada is a friend, not an enemy, and promised to work to get the project back on track.
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