In a dramatic escalation of tensions between Washington and Ottawa, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a long-awaited 1.5-mile crossing linking Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario — just as the multi-billion-dollar project nears completion.
The bridge, designed to ease congestion at one of North America’s busiest trade corridors, was poised to open following final testing and inspections. But in a post on Truth Social on February 9, 2026, Trump declared he would prevent the crossing from entering service unless the United States is “fully compensated for everything we have given them,” and until Canada treats the United States with “the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.”
“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote, without explaining how he would block the opening of a project largely funded and managed by Canada.
The remarks have triggered sharp reactions on both sides of the border, deepening a diplomatic rift that has steadily widened in recent months.
In his post, Trump accused Canada of constructing the bridge “with virtually no U.S. content” and claimed Ottawa had treated Washington “very unfairly for decades.” He further alleged that Canada owns both the Canadian and American sides of the bridge.
“With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” Trump wrote.
However, those assertions have been widely disputed. The terms governing the bridge were set out in a 2012 bilateral agreement that clearly established Canada’s responsibility for funding, constructing, operating, and maintaining the project. The total cost has exceeded $4 billion, with Canadian financing covering the entirety of construction — including the portion on U.S. soil.
Ownership, according to the agreement, is shared between the Government of Canada and the State of Michigan. The accord also stipulates that no country is to receive preferential treatment in the use of the bridge and requires that iron and steel used in its construction be produced in either the United States or Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney moved swiftly to defuse the situation, telling reporters in Ottawa that he had spoken directly with Trump.
“I spoke to the President this morning. Regarding the bridge, the situation is going to be resolved,” Carney said, declining to elaborate on the substance of their discussion.
He emphasized that Canada financed the bridge’s construction but reiterated that ownership is shared.
“I explained that Canada, of course, paid for the construction of the bridge; that the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the government of Canada,” Carney said.
He also highlighted the cross-border cooperation behind the project. “There’s Canadian steel, Canadian workers, but also U.S. steel, U.S. workers that were involved.”
In Michigan, state leaders reacted with alarm. Governor Gretchen Whitmer defended the bridge as an economic lifeline for her state, particularly for its auto industry.
“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, Stacey LaRouche, told CBC News. “This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation. It’s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting.”
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, accused Trump of harming his own state.
“President Trump’s threat tonight to tank it is awful for our state’s economy. Cancelling this project will have serious repercussions,” Slotkin wrote on social media. “Canada is our friend — not our enemy.”
Slotkin also linked the dispute to broader trade tensions, arguing that Canada’s recent trade engagement with China stemmed from deteriorating relations with Washington.
“The only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is that President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year,” she said.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge represents one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America in recent years. Managed by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a Canadian Crown corporation, the crossing aims to provide much-needed redundancy to the aging Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
Major construction has now been completed, with final testing and inspections underway.
When opened, the bridge will become the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. Its twin towers, rising 722 feet above the Detroit River, were designed by AECOM to evoke the arc of a hockey stick in a slap shot — a tribute to Gordie Howe, the hockey legend who played for Detroit’s Red Wings and symbolized the close sporting and cultural ties between the two nations.
The bridge directly connects Highway 401 in Ontario with Interstate 75 in Michigan, creating a seamless freeway-to-freeway link. This contrasts sharply with the Ambassador Bridge, which feeds into city streets in Windsor and forces truck traffic through residential neighborhoods and multiple stoplights before reaching Ontario’s main highway network.
According to project estimates, the new crossing could save approximately 850,000 truck hours annually by reducing delays. The Windsor-Detroit corridor supports more than $700 billion in annual bilateral trade — over a quarter of total U.S.-Canada trade — making efficiency gains economically significant.
The project has not been without controversy. The Moroun family of Detroit, owners of the privately held Ambassador Bridge, has waged a decade-long legal battle against the construction of the Gordie Howe Bridge.
The family argues that the new publicly funded crossing violates its exclusive toll-collection rights and has sought compensation. During Trump’s first term in office, the Morouns reportedly urged him to halt the project.
At that time, however, Trump publicly supported the bridge, calling it a “vital economic link between our two countries.”
The shift in his position underscores how dramatically U.S.-Canada relations have deteriorated.
The bridge dispute unfolds against a backdrop of escalating trade and political friction.
Earlier this year, Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canadian imports if Ottawa pursued a comprehensive trade agreement with Beijing. Prime Minister Carney responded by clarifying that Canada had no intention of entering a full free trade agreement with China and that recent measures merely reduced tariffs in limited sectors.
Nevertheless, Trump lashed out in a subsequent post, claiming that a deal signed between Canada and China would “Eat Canada Clive” — a phrase that sparked confusion and mockery online.
“The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate the Stanley Cup,” Trump wrote.
He has also criticized Ontario for removing American alcohol products from provincial liquor store shelves in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
In January, Trump declared at the World Economic Forum in Davos that “Canada lives because of the United States,” prompting a firm rebuttal from Carney.
“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States,” the Prime Minister said. “Canada thrives because we are Canadian.”
The diplomatic chill intensified further when Trump reportedly rescinded an invitation for Carney to join a proposed “Board of Peace.” On January 20, Trump posted an image showing Canada and Venezuela draped in the U.S. flag, suggesting a hypothetical American takeover — a move widely condemned in Ottawa.
Subsequently, he threatened to decertify Bombardier Global Express jets manufactured in Canada and impose 50 percent tariffs on all Canadian-made aircraft until U.S. aircraft received reciprocal certification.
Trump’s bridge threat has generated an outpouring of anger from Canadian citizens online.
“Canada’s funding for the Gordie Howe International Bridge: $6.4 billion. U.S. funding for the Gordie Howe International Bridge: $0. We gave you a new bridge for free, to benefit both of our countries,” one Canadian wrote on X.
Another post read: “Canada is funding the WHOLE PROJECT!!! The U.S. paid NOTHING. And yet the project will be JOINTLY OWNED by Canada and the State of Michigan!”
The backlash reflects broader frustration over what many Canadians perceive as repeated economic and rhetorical attacks from Washington.
For manufacturers and automakers in both countries, the bridge is more than symbolic — it is essential.
The Ambassador Bridge currently handles more trade crossings annually than the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron and the Peace Bridge in Buffalo combined. Nearly a century old, it has become a bottleneck in a just-in-time manufacturing ecosystem that depends on seamless cross-border supply chains.
In 2022, trucker protests over COVID-19 vaccine mandates caused massive traffic disruptions in Windsor, stretching for kilometres and underscoring the vulnerability of relying on a single major crossing.
Business leaders have consistently supported the Gordie Howe Bridge as a way to strengthen supply chains and enhance economic resilience.
“So many of us on this side of the border — either us personally or the organizations we represent — have fought to get the Gordie Howe Bridge,” said Sandy Baruah, President of the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority has described the project as delivering “unparalleled benefits for supply chains, industry, and commercial users.”
As final inspections approach, uncertainty looms over whether Trump’s threat will translate into concrete action. Legal experts note that blocking the opening of a completed international infrastructure project could trigger complex jurisdictional and constitutional challenges.
For now, both federal and state officials in Michigan appear determined to proceed, while Canadian leaders are signaling a preference for negotiation over confrontation.
Whether the Gordie Howe International Bridge becomes a symbol of renewed cooperation or a casualty of escalating trade hostilities may depend on what happens in the coming weeks.
For the millions of workers, truck drivers, manufacturers, and consumers whose livelihoods depend on the Windsor-Detroit corridor, the stakes could hardly be higher.
