On February 9, 2026, President Trump threatened on Truth Social to keep the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario from opening until Canada treats the United States with “Fairness and Respect.” “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” he wrote, adding, “we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.” He cited Ontario's refusal to stock U.S. alcohol, Canadian dairy tariffs and Prime Minister Mark Carney's outreach to China.
Canada financed the construction, about $4.7 billion in U.S. dollars according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, and the bridge is jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan; Michigan lawmakers declined to contribute more than a decade ago, and Canada expects to recoup its costs through tolls. Federal money has gone into preparing the U.S. customs plaza, according to The Detroit News. The next day the White House said Canada's control over what crosses the bridge was “unacceptable to the president” and that the president could amend the bridge's presidential permit. Analysts noted Trump's most direct lever was refusing to staff the U.S. customs plaza.
Michigan officials of both parties objected. A spokeswoman for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the project “a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation” and said, “It's going to open one way or another.” Sen. Gary Peters called Trump's statement “completely backwards.” Sen. Elissa Slotkin warned of “higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs.” Rep. Debbie Dingell and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce noted that Trump endorsed the bridge in 2017; Dingell quoted him calling it a “vital economic link between our two countries.”
Update (October 2, 2026): The planned June opening was postponed the day before a scheduled ribbon-cutting. Carney said Canada agreed to the delay “at the request of the United States,” and AP reported, citing two unnamed people, that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had pushed back on the opening. After the two countries reached a deal on tolls in July, the bridge opened to traffic on July 27. Canada canceled a joint U.S.-Canada celebration, citing new 50% tariffs Trump announced that week.
Correction (October 2, 2026): This entry said the United States “paid nothing” and that Trump demanded ownership of something America did not pay for. Canada financed the bridge, but federal money went into preparing the U.S. customs plaza, and Michigan is a co-owner. The Whitmer quotes came from her spokeswoman, and the Slotkin and Canadian Chamber quotations were paraphrases; they are now quoted verbatim or attributed correctly.