Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Canadian-Built Detroit Bridge

President Trump threatened Monday to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a Canadian-financed crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. In a social media post he wrote, “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” according to France 24, Spectrum News and CBS News. He said the United States should own “perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” Fox News reported, and that negotiations should begin immediately.

The bridge is paid for by the Canadian government, and Canada and Michigan jointly own it, according to France 24, TIME and CBS News. Construction began in 2018 and it was expected to open in early 2026. It is designed to take pressure off the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. France 24 and TIME put the cost at about $4.7 billion; Al Jazeera reported $4.6 billion. TIME and Al Jazeera report that Michigan’s then-governor, Republican Rick Snyder, negotiated the arrangement under which Canada pays for the bridge, and that the Department of Homeland Security designated the bridge an official port of entry on Jan. 30.

Trump’s post listed grievances. According to Fox News and TIME, he complained about Ontario’s ban on American alcohol in its liquor stores and said Canada used “virtually no U.S. content” in building the bridge. He also said Prime Minister Mark Carney “wants to make a deal with China,” which he said “will eat Canada alive.” Carney visited Beijing last month and reached a preliminary trade deal, and Washington has threatened a 100 percent tariff on Canadian goods if Canada proceeds, France 24 and NBC News reported.

Carney responded Tuesday in Ottawa after speaking with Trump that morning. He said the bridge situation “is going to be resolved,” without giving details, France 24 reported. He said Canada paid for construction, that ownership is shared with Michigan, and that Canadian and American steel and workers were used. TIME also reported that Carney said the situation would be settled.

Michigan Democrats criticized the threat. Sen. Elissa Slotkin called it awful for the state’s economy, according to CBS News and TIME. Spectrum News reported that Reps. Debbie Dingell, Kristen McDonald Rivet and Shri Thanedar also criticized it, and that Slotkin called the bridge a “huge boon” for Michigan that lets cargo move from Montreal to Miami without stopping at a street light. Spectrum News said it is not clear how Trump could block the opening, and Dingell said she expects the bridge to open later this spring.

The dispute lands as the two countries prepare to review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement this year, Spectrum News and Al Jazeera reported.