President Donald Trump has warned that he could halt the opening of a new bridge linking the United States and Canada unless Washington is, in his words, fully compensated for what it has provided to its northern neighbor over the years.
The warning centers on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which links Ontario in Canada with the U.S. state of Michigan. Trump said the crossing would not open until Ottawa “treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” a message he posted on social media.
Project documents show that the bridge is being financed by the Canadian government, while ownership will be shared between Canada and the state of Michigan. Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin warned that blocking the opening of the “incredibly important infrastructure project” would be “awful for our state’s economy.”
Slotkin said the decision could have “serious repercussions,” warning in a post on X that it would lead to “higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs.” It remains unclear what authority Trump would have to stop the bridge from opening, though he said talks would begin immediately and did not offer further details.
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The bridge, which crosses the Detroit River, is expected to open to traffic once final testing and regulatory approvals are completed later this year. Construction started in 2018, but the project has been a source of friction between the two countries for more than a decade.
The bridge is estimated to have cost about 6.4 billion Canadian dollars (about $4.7 billion), according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump argued that the United States should own “at least one half of this asset,” while also claiming that Canada controls both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the crossing.
Project records show that the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which is overseeing development of the bridge, is wholly owned by the Canadian government. Responding to that arrangement, Trump wrote: “The Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’”
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” he added.
Trump also accused former President Barack Obama of allowing construction of the bridge to move forward without using any U.S. steel. That claim was rejected by Windsor, Ontario Mayor Drew Dilkens, who told the CBC the allegation was incorrect.
“It’s just insane,” Dilkens said. “I really can’t believe what I’m reading.”
During Trump’s first term, the Moroun family, the American owners of the nearby Ambassador Bridge that also links Detroit and Canada, urged him to block the project, arguing that the new crossing would undermine their exclusive right to collect tolls.
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At the time, Trump and then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back in a joint statement, calling the bridge a “vital economic link” between the two countries.
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer also pushed back against Trump’s threat to block the bridge, arguing that the project would benefit jobs in her state. Her press secretary, Stacey LaRouche, told the CBC that “this project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation.”
Trump on Monday cited broader trade tensions between the two countries, complaining that “the Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable.” He also criticized a trade agreement Canada signed with China last month, warning that it would “eat Canada alive.”
Trump went on to claim: “The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”
Slotkin rejected that argument, saying Canada was only nearing a trade deal with China because Trump “has kicked them in the teeth for a year.” Canada, she said, is “our friend, not our enemy,” adding that she would work to help get the bridge project back on track.