Trump threatens to block opening of new US-Canada bridge
By Lex Harvey, Samantha Waldenberg, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump threatened Monday to block the opening of a new bridge connecting the US and Canada, again lashing out at his country’s northern neighbor over a range of economic issues as the rift between Washington and Ottawa deepens.
Trump said he would “not allow” the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a 1.5-mile bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, in a post on Truth Social Monday. Major construction on the bridge is complete, and it’s expected to open this year after a period of testing.
“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,” the president wrote.
It is not clear how Trump would block the opening of the bridge. CNN has reached out to the White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which runs the bridge, for comment.
Trump also claimed incorrectly that Canada “own(s) both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no US content.”
The more than $4 billion dollar bridge, named for the famous Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, is being fully paid for, built, operated and maintained by Ottawa but will be jointly owned by the government of Canada and the state of Michigan, according to the 2012 agreement laying out the terms of the bridge.
The agreement also stipulates that any iron and steel used in its construction must be produced in either the US or Canada, and one country should not be favored over the other.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told CNN newsgathering partner CBC News that US steel was used in the construction of the bridge on the Michigan side of the river.
“It’s just insane,” Dilkens said, responding to Trump’s statement Monday. “I really can’t believe what I’m reading.”
Monday’s comments are the latest in a series of attacks by Trump against Canada, which escalated after Carney delivered a speech at Davos encouraging middle powers to band together against global superpowers, such as the US.
At the end of January, Trump said he will decertify all aircraft made in Canada and threatened a 50% tariff on Canadian planes.
Trump has also threatened to hit all Canadian goods with a 100% tariff if Canada makes a trade deal with China, which the president said “will eat Canada alive” in Monday’s Truth Social Post.
Last month, Carney met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing and the two formed a “new strategic partnership,” with Canada easing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into its market annually. China is also expected to reduce tariff barriers on Canadian canola seed, lobster and peas later this year.
In Monday’s post, Trump also complained that Ontario — Canada’s most populous province — “won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves.” Ontario, like other Canadian provinces, pulled American booze from the shelves of its provincial liquor retailer last year to protest US tariffs on Canadian goods.
Trump spoke highly of the bridge’s value to the US in his first term. A 2017 joint statement with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Gordie Howe bridge “a vital economic link between the two countries.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, said canceling the project will have “serious repercussions” for Michigan’s economy.
“The President is punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started,” Slotkin said in a post to X Monday. “Canada is our friend — not our enemy.”
The-CNN-Wire
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