President Donald Trump says he will not allow the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor to open unless Canada makes significant concessions to the U.S.
Trump said in a Feb. 9 post on Truth Social that the U.S. will open negotiations with Canada, which has footed the entire bill for the $5.7-billion bridge construction project, but believes the U.S. should probably take ownership of at least half of it.
In fact, the bridge is jointly owned by Canada and the U.S., with Canada intending to recoup its upfront construction costs over time, through bridge tolls.
The bridge is expected to open early this year, after construction began in 2020, following a 2018 groundbreaking.
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the U.S. with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump wrote.
“With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
Trump said Canada has treated the U.S. very badly for decades and noted that many Canadian provinces are not even stocking U.S. liquor on store shelves since Trump began imposing significant tariffs on many Canadian imports early in his first term. He said the bridge had been built with no U.S. content for products such as steel.
Trump said that now, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is entering into a deal with China under which Canada will allow a certain number of Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market in return for lower Chinese tariffs on certain Canadian exports.
“We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so,” Trump wrote.
Under an agreement pushed by former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Canada agreed to pay the full upfront cost of the bridge and recover costs later. At the time, Republicans in the Legislature refused to provide funding for the bridge, which was opposed by the private owners of the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, the Moroun family.
Trump’s statement drew negative reaction from elected officials and business groups.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Trump’s threat is “awful for our state’s economy” and pledged to work to get the project back on track.
“Canceling this project will have serious repercussions,” Slotkin said in an emailed statement. “Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs. With this threat, the President is punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started. The only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year.”
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, also a Democrat, described Trump’s statement as “completely backwards,” in a post Peters made on X, and said it is “another case of the President undermining Michigan businesses and workers.”
Stacey LaRouche, a spokeswoman for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, said the bridge will be operated under a joint agreement between Michigan and Canada and the project has been “a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation.”
The bridge “is going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting,” LaRouche said in an emailed statement.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell noted that during his first term as president, Trump praised the bridge project as “a vital economic link” between the U.S. and Canada.
“The Gordie Howe Bridge was built by union workers on both sides of the border,” Dingell said on X. “This border is the busiest crossing between our two countries and has been critical for not only Michigan jobs but also American jobs.”
Chuck Lippstreu, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, said Canada is the group’s leading export destination and “agricultural shippers in Michigan are hopeful to see the bridge open and operational as soon as possible.”
Candace Laing, President & CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said modern border infrastructure strengthens shared economic security.
“Whether this proves real or simply threatened to keep uncertainty high — blocking or barricading bridges is a self-defeating move,” Laing said in an emailed statement.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump says Gordie Howe bridge won’t open without Canadian concessions
Reporting by Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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