Trump threatens to block opening of new bridge between Windsor and Detroit

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to “not allow” a new bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., to open unless the United States is “fully compensated for everything” it has given Canada.

Trump claimed in a social media post Monday that Canada has taken advantage of America, saying the U.S. should own “at least one half” of the bridge because “the revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical.”

“What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING! Ontario won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves,” Trump said.

He also claimed Canada owns both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the bridge. However, the bridge is publicly owned by both Canada and the state of Michigan, with Canada funding the entire project and using toll revenues to recoup the expenses.

CTV News has reached out to both the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House for comment.

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According to CTV News U.S. political analyst Eric Ham, Trump initially supported the project during his first term.

“(Trump) actually gave his full support behind the Gordie Howe International Bridge, saying that it was a priority for the bridge to be completed, and he actually believed that this would be a good and viable project for both the United States, as well as Canada,” he said in an interview with CTV News Channel Monday.

Ham said Trump is deeply concerned about the trade deal between Canada and China, and he is no longer looking at Canada as an ally or partner.

“He sees Canada more as a threat, and I think that is why we’re seeing the president continue to ratchet up these attacks on Canada,” Ham said.

Blocking bridge is ‘self-defeating move’: officials

Officials on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border pushed back against Trump’s claims, emphasizing the bridge’s economic importance and long-standing co-operation between the two countries.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens called Trump’s comments “totally unhinged, full of lies and misinformation.”

In an interview with CTV News Windsor, Dilkens said the bridge is a joint Canada–U.S. project, noting that while Canada financed construction, the state of Michigan has also spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the U.S. side to build supporting infrastructure.

“We have funded this bridge as a nation, but it was done with … steel from the state of Michigan as well.” he said. “We are truly partners in this.”

Dilkens added that Trump’s comments amount to a swipe not only at Canada, but at Michigan and its residents.

“In normal times, you would see a president and a prime minister meet in the middle and shake hands and celebrate this type of investment,” Dilkens said, adding the rhetoric highlights the challenges the Canadian government will face in the Canada–U.S.–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) negotiations.

“This is how Donald Trump operates. He divides and conquers,” he said. “It’s very difficult to unscramble the egg that we have built here together.”

Stacey LaRouche, press secretary to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, highlighted the benefits for the U.S. state.

“This is the busiest trade crossing in North America,” she said in a statement to CTVNews.ca. “The Gordie Howe International Bridge is all about jobs. It’s good for Michigan workers and it’s good for Michigan’s auto industry.”

Whitmer’s press secretary added that the bridge is “going to open one way or another,” and that “the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting.”

Meanwhile, Canadian business leaders echoed similar sentiment, stressing that threats to block the bridge would be counterproductive.

“Whether this proves real or simply threatened to keep uncertainty high — blocking or barricading bridges is a self-defeating move,” Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to CTVNews.ca. “The path forward isn’t deconstructing established trade corridors; it’s actually building bridges.”

Timeline of Windsor-Detroit bridge project

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority is responsible for overseeing the project. According to the Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement, which was signed in 2012, the Canadian government negotiated a waiver to “Buy America” requirements, so both Canadian and U.S. iron and steel could be used in the construction of the bridge.

Construction on the cable-stayed Gordie Howe International Bridge started in 2018 and it’s expected to open sometime this year.

Bridge spokesperson Heather Grondin told CTV News in July last year that roughly 98 per cent of the crossing was complete, with testing and staff training still underway.

Named after Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe, the bridge also survived multiple legal challenges from Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the former private owner of the nearby Ambassador Bridge, who publicly appealed to Trump during his first term in 2018 to revoke a presidential permit Barack Obama granted to greenlight construction.

With files from CTV News Windsor