The latest target for President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with Canada is the $4.7 billion Gordie Howe Bridge between Detroit and Windsor expected to open later this year and provide much-needed relief for freight traffic between the two countries.
In a post to his Truth Social account Monday, Trump, among other things, said, “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, “We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”
Trump said Canada owns the bridge, when in fact, it is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan, and is overseen by an international committee made up of representatives of both countries.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada funded the entire cost of building the bridge and that it was constructed using Canadian and U.S. workers, with steel from both countries.
Carney said the bridge, named in honor of Detroit Red Wings hockey star Gordie Howe, a “great example of co-operation” between Canada and the U.S. He said it highlights the positive impact it will have on commerce, tourism, and cross-border travel for both nations.
The Canadian prime minister said he had had a “positive” conversation with Trump on the issue.
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported Detroit trucking company owner Matthew Maroun, whose family also owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge, met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington earlier on Monday before Lutnick called Trump.
Maroun has long fought the construction of the new bridge.
Trump’s Truth Social post also complained about Canada’s new trading relationship with China, and said, “The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”
Canada recently eased tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles that it imposed with the US in 2024. In exchange, China will lower retaliatory tariffs on key Canadian agricultural products, which is expected to cause problems for American farmers.
The president also complained that Ontario has blocked the sale of U.S. made liquor, and that Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products hurt this country’s farmers.
Since taking office the second time, Trump has targeted Canada in many ways, suggesting it should be the 51st U.SD. state and calling Carney “governor”. He has also imposed and removed and reimposed tariffs on numerous Canadian products.
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