President Donald Trump declared he will not permit the opening of a long-planned international bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, saying the United States must be “fully compensated for everything” before traffic can flow across the span.
The remarks, posted Feb. 9 on Truth Social, intensified already simmering tensions between Washington and Ottawa, as Trump also aired grievances about a potential Canada-China trade deal and sharply criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
A $4.6 Billion Crossing in the Crosshairs
The Gordie Howe International Bridge — a $4.6 billion infrastructure project stretching 1.5 miles across the Detroit River — was approved in 2014. The six-lane crossing, slated to open in early 2026, is expected to rank among North America’s largest ports of entry, designed to ease congestion and bolster border security between the two nations.
But Trump argued that Canada controls both sides of the project and constructed it with “virtually no U.S. content.”
“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 wrote. He accused former President Barack Hussein Obama of granting Canada a waiver from the Buy American Act, allowing the use of non-U.S. materials, including steel.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’” Trump wrote.
In the same post, Trump floated the idea that the United States should claim at least 50% ownership of the bridge.
“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote. “With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
