LANSING — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she hasn’t yet spoken directly with President Donald Trump about the possibility of delaying the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor.
Trump sharply criticized Canada in a Feb. 9 post on Truth Social and said he would not allow the bridge to open without concessions from Canada. Whitmer, speaking to reporters following an event in Waverly on Tuesday, Feb. 10, said she’s had conversations with Canadian officials about Trump’s remarks.
“I don’t want to put too much on those conversations until I speak directly with the president,” Whitmer said. “We are having a lot of conversations at the staff level, at the administration level, and those will continue.”
Though the bridge is to be jointly owned, Trump complained in the post about a lack of U.S. materials such as steel used in its construction and said the U.S. should own at least half of it. Canada is paying for the entire project, estimated to cost $5.7 billion, with plans to recover those costs from toll revenues over time.
Whitmer noted that the agreement in which Canada agreed to pay for upfront costs was negotiated by her predecessor, former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican.
The publicly owned bridge is expected to open early this year and join the privately owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which is jointly owned by the two cities, as a Detroit River crossing. It has strong support from businesses on both sides of the border, including the automobile industry.
“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. In his social media post, Trump also complained about Canadian treatment of U.S. businesses and products. Business relations between the neighboring countries have strained after Trump instituted broad tariffs on Canadian products entering the U.S.
Trump’s comments drew consternation from several Democratic lawmakers and some business groups. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Ontario Feb. 10 that he had spoken with Trump about the bridge and “the situation will be settled,” Reuters reported.
Matthew Dae Smith of the Lansing State Journal contributed.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gov. Whitmer addresses Trump threat to stop Gordie Howe bridge opening
Reporting by Paul Egan and Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
