President Donald Trump is threatening to block the opening of a new bridge between the United States and Canada if Canadian officials don’t address his demands about trade.
The bridge he’s focused on is the Gordie Howe International Bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. It’s expected to open this year after construction began in 2020.
The threat has sparked frustration among Michigan lawmakers, who have been rooting for the economic activity the bridge could bring to their state. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with Trump and reiterated Canada’s responsibility in the bridge construction and the benefits of having the new crossing.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump issues threat
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump aired his grievances with the United States’ northern neighbor, including how Canadian stores won’t sell U.S. spirits and a potential Canada-China deal.
He argued that Canada has treated the U.S. “very unfairly for decades” but he said things are quickly changing.
“But imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content,” Trump said. “President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel. Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’”
He asked what the United States gets in return and said, “NOTHING.”
“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 United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump said.
Trump said the U.S. has given Canada so much, so they should allow America to own at least half of the bridge. He said the revenues generated because of the U.S. economy will be “astronomical.”
However, the U.S. does own part of the bridge. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan, the Detroit Free Press noted. Canada paid the upfront construction costs and will recoup the price through bridge tolls.
Criticism from Michigan delegation
Trump’s statement earned criticism from some Michigan elected officials. U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Trump’s threat is “awful for our state’s economy” and that the bridge is an “incredibly important infrastructure project” for Michigan.
“Canceling this project will have serious repercussions. Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs,” Slotkin said in a post online. “The President’s agenda for personal retribution should not come before what’s best for us. Canada is our friend — not our enemy.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., shared online that the bridge was built by union workers from both countries. She noted that in 2017, when Trump was president, he endorsed the bridge and called it a “vital economic link between our two countries.”
“Nothing has changed. We cannot forget Canada is our friend and ally. We have to stop these cheap shots. It helps no one, and it especially hurts our economy,” Dingell said. “I look forward to the ribbon-cutting.”
Additionally, the Detroit Regional Chamber and its CEO, Sandy Baruah, released a statement in response to the president’s threat.
“The international bridge is the most consequential infrastructure project in the state and region of this generation. It will support economic growth and improve border security, and any effort to block this project would have tremendous consequences for the region, state, and country,” she said. “We cannot lose sight of the facts of how this project came about and its importance to our economy as part of one of the strongest cross-border trade relationships in history.”
Future of the bridge — and international relations
Carney said the two countries will resolve the issue and said he had a conversation with Trump early Tuesday.
“The situation will be settled,” he said, without providing details.
“I explained that Canada, of course, paid for the construction of the bridge, over $4 billion,” Carney said. “That the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the government of Canada.”
The future of the bridge is still up in the air and it’s also unclear how Trump would actually block the bridge from being opened.
Since Trump supported the bridge in 2017, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked why the president changed his mind. She pointed to Canada using more American-made materials to build the bridge. Leavitt said Trump believes that the U.S. should have shared authority over what passes across it.
“This is just another example of President Trump putting America’s interest first, and so he made that very clear in his call with Prime Minister Carney earlier today,” she concluded.
It’s the latest shake-up between the United States and Canada, which have had an increasingly tense relationship since Trump took office again last year with the implementation of his tariff agenda, comments about making Canada the 51st state and trade struggles.
Additionally, the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is also up for review this year, and it seems like Trump doesn’t want to renew it and has issued tariff threats.