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The Gordie Howe International Bridge viewed from downstream along the Detroit River, Oct. 25, 2025. Photo by Doug Schmidt/PostmediaArticle contentPresident Donald Trump said he would start negotiations with Canada over a bridge project to connect Michigan and Ontario, threatening to block its opening until the U.S. was given adequate compensation and owned “half of this asset.”

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“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 on social media Monday. “We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” he added.

Advertisement 1 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { const template = document.getElementById('oop-ad-template'); if (template && !template.dataset.adInjected) { const clone = template.content.cloneNode(true); template.replaceWith(clone); if (template.parentElement) { template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected = "true"; } } });Article contentAs everyone knows, the Country of Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Now, things are turning around for the U.S.A., and FAST! But imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States… pic.twitter.com/81w5Z2IUAr

The president included a picture of the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge project, connecting Detroit and Windsor, in the post. The bridge, which is expected to open to traffic soon pending formal tests and approval, is being financed by the Canadian federal government, with the expectations the costs will be paid for by bridge tolls.

Canada’s new global strategy hits a Trump wall. Something has to give Trump’s renewed tariff threats on Canada further clouds CUSMA negotiations Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});Article contentIn 2012, former prime minister Stephen Harper announced the construction of the bridge, and it was later announced it would be named after the hockey legend who starred for the Detroit Red Wings. Construction on the bridge began in 2018.

The Government of Canada website says the project will provide an additional crossing option at “one of the busiest Canada-U.S. commercial border crossings.”

It says many permanent jobs will be created for the operation and maintenance of the bridge and Ports of Entry once open. It also says the bridge will provide “the capacity to increase trade and encourage investment between Canada and the U.S., supporting the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world.”

It’s not the first time the bridge has become an issue in the Oval Office. The U.S. family that owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge lobbied Trump during his first term to rescind the waiver granted by President Barack Obama in 2012 that exempted the new bridge from having to use only U.S. steel, in recognition that the Canadians were paying for it.

He said it’s a “once-in-a-generation” project and that one would normally expect to see the president and the Canadian prime minister shake hands in the middle to celebrate the relationship. But “Trump has basically made trading enemies with every country on the planet,” Dilkens said.

Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that “blocking or barricading bridges is a self-defeating move.” Laing said the Trump administration was right in 2017 in its joint statement that endorsed the bridge as a priority project. She added that modern border infrastructure strengthens shared economic security. “Through decades of collaboration, Canada and the United States build things together, create jobs together and compete globally together,” said Laing. “The path forward isn’t deconstructing established trade corridors, it’s actually building bridges.”

The Gordie Howe Bridge is an incredibly important infrastructure project for Michigan. President Trump's threat tonight to tank it is awful for our state's economy.Canceling this project will have serious repercussions. Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply… https://t.co/LaCEQAtp6I

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s press secretary, Stacey LaRouche, noted that the bridge was paid for by Canada, built by union workers from both countries and “will be operated under a joint ownership agreement between Michigan and Canada.”

She called the project “a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation” and said “it’s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting.”

Trump’s comments are the latest broadside against Canada, as the U.S president ratchets up tensions with a major trading partner. Trump has recently threatened to hit Canadian goods with a 100 per cent tariff if the country made a trade deal with China and has expressed annoyance at remarks from Prime Minister Mark Carney at Davos that offered an implicit denunciation of the U.S president’s foreign and economic policies.

Last month, Trump also threatened to impose a 50 per cent tariff on aircraft from Canada and decertify new planes made there.

The deal between Ottawa and Beijing essentially swapped canola sales to China for a quota of electric vehicle sales to Canada. But Trump has cast the deal as a threat, arguing that it would give China undue influence over the U.S northern neighbour, reiterating those criticisms on Monday.

“Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so,” Trump said.

The U.S president also assailed Canada over levies on dairy imports, saying those tariffs were “unacceptable” and put “our Farmers at great financial risk.”

He further warned that “the first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”

The latest spat comes as the U.S and Canada prepare to renegotiate a continental trade pact — the USMCA — which Trump agreed to in his first term.

The government of Canada, bridge authority, the Ontario premier’s office and Michigan governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— With additional reporting from The Canadian Press

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