Trump Bombshell Threatens $5B Bridge

President Trump is signaling that even a nearly finished $5+ billion bridge won’t open unless Canada comes to the table on trade that Americans see as unfair.

Quick Take

Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge unless Canada negotiates on trade and compensation.
The bridge links Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, and is expected to open in early 2026 after construction began in 2018.
Canada financed the project through a federal Crown corporation, planning to recover costs through tolls over decades.
Michigan officials and business groups warn a delay could disrupt a major North American trade corridor and supply chains.

Trump ties bridge opening to trade leverage

President Donald Trump used a February 9, 2026, Truth Social post to threaten blocking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the new Detroit-to-Windsor crossing nearing completion. Trump demanded “immediate” negotiations, arguing Canada should compensate the U.S. for trade imbalances and that the United States should hold at least a half ownership stake. He also criticized Canadian restrictions affecting U.S. goods like alcohol and dairy.

The leverage point is straightforward: the bridge physically connects to U.S. territory and requires U.S. operational coordination, inspections, and permissions. That gives Washington significant say over timing, even though the project is marketed as a shared economic upgrade for both countries. As of February 10, reporting indicated no public resolution, and key offices on both sides were not offering immediate details beyond the initial statements and reactions.

A major crossing built to relieve pressure on the Ambassador Bridge

The Gordie Howe International Bridge was designed to relieve capacity and redundancy problems tied to the aging Ambassador Bridge, long described as the busiest commercial U.S.-Canada crossing. The project began construction in 2018 and has been targeted for an early-2026 opening. Its importance is not symbolic; the Detroit-Windsor corridor sits at the heart of integrated Michigan-Ontario manufacturing and logistics, especially the auto supply chain.

Funding and ownership details are central to the argument now spilling into public view. Multiple reports describe the bridge as financed by Canada through the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a Canadian federal Crown corporation, with costs reported around $5.7 billion in some coverage and around $4.7 billion in other accounts. The plan has been to recoup the investment through tolls over roughly 36 years, with Michigan tied into ownership arrangements even as Canada carries the financing.

Political pushback inside Michigan focuses on economic fallout

Michigan’s elected leaders reacted quickly, not because they dismissed trade grievances, but because the immediate risk lands on local workers and businesses. Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters warned that a delayed opening would punish Michigan’s economy and undermine companies that rely on smooth cross-border movement. From their perspective, a standoff over ownership or tariffs could spill into day-to-day supply chain friction, adding cost and uncertainty to trade-dependent industries.

Business voices also emphasized practical consequences. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, through CEO Candace Laing, described blocking bridges as “self-defeating,” pointing to the binational economic integration that makes the corridor valuable in the first place. Those reactions underscore a real tension: the bridge is supposed to reduce chokepoints, but the political fight could temporarily create the very bottleneck it was built to prevent, at least until negotiations clarify next steps.

Trade grievances, “Buy American” disputes, and China anxieties collide

Trump’s broader complaint centers on what he describes as unfair Canadian trade practices, including barriers impacting U.S. alcohol and dairy and claims about limited U.S. content used in construction. Some reporting also referenced allegations tied to an Obama-era waiver affecting Buy American requirements, although publicly available details in the current coverage do not quantify U.S. content levels or document the waiver’s precise scope. That leaves a verifiable dispute headline, but incomplete technical substantiation.

The rift between President Trump and Canada continued yesterday with a threat to block the Gordie Howe International Bridge. https://t.co/y3ZzdaQac2

— ABC12WJRT (@ABC12WJRT) February 10, 2026

The other factor hovering over the dispute is geopolitics. Reports noted Canada nearing trade engagement with China and highlighted U.S.-China tensions as part of the background to why this corridor matters for “shared economic security.” That context helps explain why Trump is treating a bridge opening as more than ribbon-cutting optics. For constitutional-minded Americans, the key watch item is not rhetoric but whether executive leverage translates into durable, enforceable trade terms without expanding government control beyond lawful authority.