Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he plans to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe Bridge. A few days after that, news broke that Matt Moroun, whose family owns the Ambassador Bridge, had met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just a few hours before the president’s post. And just a few days after that, campaign finance filings revealed that back in January, Moroun donated $1 million to the MAGA Inc. political action committee. (I’m shocked — shocked — to find that gambling is going on in here.)
This is a conjunction of two unpleasant agendas: Trump wants to use the Gordie Howe as a cudgel in his ongoing trade war — with China? with Canada? with China and Canada? — and Moroun wants to protect his family’s bridge, the only span across this portion of the Detroit River, and the only privately owned U.S.-Canada border crossing.
But I’m just struck by what chump change this is. Sure, a million dollars sounds like a lot of money, and for most of us, it is — but not for Matt Moroun or Donald Trump.
In 2020, Forbes pegged the net worth of the Moroun family, which also owns a logistics and trucking empire, at $1.5 billion. Trump’s net worth, Forbes reports, has soared since his second term started, from around $2.3 billion in 2024 to roughly $6.5 billion last year, largely driven by his stakes in Truth Social and cryptocurrency.
Per capita income in Michigan, if you’re curious — that’s the average income per person — is $40,375. The poverty rate here hovers around 13%.
Back in 2012, the Morouns launched a statewide ballot initiative that would’ve required statewide voter approval for any major new infrastructure project, a naked attempt to block the construction of a publicly owned bridge (which I think, back then, we called the “New International Trade Crossing”). The ballot initiative, on which the Morouns spent $33 million — $47 million in today’s dollars — failed.
So, if you’re trying to calculate the value of the bridge to the Moroun family, that’s your baseline: $50 million, give or take.
I really think Trump ought to hold out for more. A measly million to block the opening of an economically necessary bridge, built on terms extremely favorable to the U.S., in a state the president won twice? Please. If I were Trump, I wouldn’t pick up the phone for less than $10 million.
Still, it’s fascinating insight into how the ultra-wealthy move pieces around on the gameboard of politics and finance. Leverage the presidency for $1.4 billion in crypto. Drop $33 million to block the construction of a bridge. Spend $1 million to delay its opening.
Why not? It’s just money.
Nancy Kaffer is editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it in print or online.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How wealth, politics collide in Trump’s Gordie Howe Bridge fight | Opinion
Reporting by Nancy Kaffer, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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