Trump threatens to stop opening of Canada-US bridge
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US President Donald Trump complained that Canada owned both sides of the bridge and used “virtually” no US products to build it.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump threatened on Feb 9 to stop the opening of a new bridge between the US and Canada, in a fresh salvo against the country he has suggested should become the 51st state.
He said the US should own “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is still under construction, that links the Canadian province of Ontario with the US state of Michigan.
Work on the US$4.7 billion (S$5.95 billion) bridge – named after the late Canadian-born National Hockey League great Gordie Howe – began in 2018, and it is due to open later in 2026.
“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,” Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“We will start negotiations immediately.”
The 79-year-old Republican complained that Canada owned both sides of the bridge and used “virtually” no US products to build it.
“And now, on top of everything else, (Candian) Prime Minister (Mark) Carney wants to make a deal with China – which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so,” he said.
According to a fact sheet issued by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the bridge was financed entirely by Canada and will be jointly owned by the governments of Canada and the state of Michigan.
Washington has threatened to slap 100 per cent tariffs on Canada after Mr Carney visited Beijing in February and sealed a preliminary trade deal with China.
The US leader, meanwhile, repeated the outlandish claim that Beijing would “terminate all ice hockey being played in Canada”.
Mr Trump has clashed with Canada over trade since returning to office in January 2025. He previously called for the US to annex Canada but has largely dropped that claim in recent months.
Mr Carney, meanwhile, warned at the Davos forum in January that the US‑led global system of governance is enduring “a rupture”, in a thinly veiled reference to Mr Trump’s disruption, and argued for mid-level powers to group together. AFP
