President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the long-planned Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor later this year, unless the U.S. receives greater ownership and economic rights in the project.
On Truth Social, Trump claimed that the crossing would not open until Canada “treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.” He added that he would “not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” and said he would not allow the country to be “taken advantage of.”
Trump also criticized the project’s origins, blaming former President Barack Obama for allowing the construction to begin “without the use of any U.S. steel.” Officials involved with the project said steel from both the U.S. and Canada was used.
He connected the issue to recent trade disputes with Canada and to a recent Canada-China trade agreement, writing that “the first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.” He did not explain how it related to the bridge dispute.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge was negotiated years before construction began and is funded entirely by the Canadian government.
The project is expected to be jointly overseen by Canada and Michigan, with both contributing materials and workers to its construction. During his first term in 2017, Trump expressed approval of the project.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump believes Canadian ownership of the bridge and surrounding land is “unacceptable,” adding that the administration wanted the U.S. to own “at least” half of the bridge and share authority over what can cross it.
The White House did not explain what authority could be used to stop the opening of a bridge built under an existing international agreement, but said negotiations would begin immediately.
Canadian officials emphasized the existing terms of the project.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a “positive” conversation with Trump, reiterating that Canada paid for the bridge’s construction and that workers from both countries built it. Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected claims that American steel was excluded, saying “there’s fiction, what President Trump says, and then there’s true facts that people can look up.”
Officials in Michigan stressed the bridge’s economic importance.
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin warned that stopping the project would harm the state’s economy, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the crossing would bring jobs to Michigan.
Former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder likewise supported the project as beneficial to regional trade.
The project has long faced opposition from the prominent and wealthy Moroun family, owners of the nearby Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor.
During the Trump administration’s first term, the family appealed to halt construction, arguing that the new crossing would infringe on their ability to collect tolls.
For now, the bridge remains under construction as scheduled, while the administration seeks negotiations over a project whose ownership and funding terms were established years before construction began.
