TRUMP THREATENS TO BLOCK NEW US-CANADA BRIDGE OVER TRADE DISPUTES

Tue 10 February 2026:

US President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a new Canadian-built bridge linking Canada and the US across the Detroit River, demanding that Canada hand over at least half of the bridge’s ownership and meet other unspecified conditions.

“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them and, importantly, until Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect we deserve,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.

“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” he said.

Trump included an image of the new $4.6bn Gordie Howe International Bridge project, which connects Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario.

The bridge links the city of Windsor in the Canadian province of Ontario with Detroit in the US state of Michigan and is designed to carry six lanes of traffic as well as pedestrians and cyclists.

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Canada is funding construction, which is to be recouped through tolls, and the bridge is scheduled to open later this year. Officials have said it will boost trade between the neighbouring countries.

Trump criticized Canada for not using US products such as steel in construction and for its recently announced limited engagement with China on trade, a move that had already prompted him to threaten 100% tariffs on Canadian imports and tariffs on Canadian aircraft.

Trump has frequently used tariff threats to press his policies, sometimes without following through. His remarks come after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew attention at the World Economic Forum in Davos with a speech widely interpreted as a critique of Trump’s “America First” approach.

The US president has repeatedly expressed his wish to make Canada the 51st US state.

The bridge is expected to open in early 2026. On January 30, the US Department of Homeland Security published a rule designating the bridge as an official port of entry. The project was negotiated by former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, and financed by the Canadian government.

The bridge is designed to ease heavy truck traffic currently handled by the Ambassador Bridge.

According to a University of Windsor study, the Gordie Howe Bridge could cut up to 20 minutes off crossing times, saving truckers an estimated $2.3bn over 30 years.

Construction has been under way since 2018.

Trump also said in January that the US could decertify Bombardier Global Express business jets, and threatened 50 percent tariffs on all aircraft made in Canada unless Ottawa certified several aircraft produced by US rival Gulfstream.

So far, the Trump administration has not taken action against Canadian aircraft.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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