Donald Trump, the president of United States, on Monday issued a fresh warning to Canada over the construction of a major cross-border bridge linking Ontario and Michigan, claiming the project had been designed to exclude American materials and industry. The Gordie Howe Bridge is poised to become the newest border crossing between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump alleged that Canadian authorities had secured a waiver during the Obama administration to bypass “Buy American” requirements, allowing the bridge to be built with “virtually no US content”, including steel.
In his tirade against Canadian President Mark Carney, Donald Trump said, “Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers!”
Trump said he would refuse to allow the bridge to open unless the United States received what he described as full compensation, arguing that Canada had benefited disproportionately from access to the American market.
“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 wrote in the post on Monday.
Trump’s remarks, which blended trade grievances with broader geopolitical assertions, also targeted Ontario’s liquor retail policies and Canada’s longstanding dairy tariffs, while accusing Ottawa of pursuing closer economic ties with China.
The US President suggested that the United States should obtain at least half ownership of the bridge, describing its prospective revenues as “astronomical” given the scale of cross-border commerce.
President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States will immediately begin negotiations with Canada on whether to provide a permit for the under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan.
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 percent 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.
What Did Trump Say?
As everyone knows, the Country of Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Now, things are turning around for the USA, and FAST! But imagine, 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 US content. President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel. Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just “take advantage of America!” What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING! Ontario won’t even put US spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves, they are absolutely prohibited from doing so and now, on top of everything else, 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. The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup. The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk. 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. We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the US Market will be astronomical. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
