Trump threatens to bar the new U.S.-Canada bridge from opening, demands talks with Ottawa

Trump threatens to block the new Detroit-Windsor bridge, demanding negotiations with Canada over trade and tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (February 9, 2026) threatened to bar the new $4.6 billion ‌bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario from opening, in his latest salvo against ​Canada over trade issues. Mr. Trump cited Canada’s ownership of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, its refusal to stock some U.S. alcoholic beverages on Canadian store shelves, Canada’s tariffs on dairy products and its trade talks with China.

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

In 2012, Michigan’s then-Governor Rick Snyder accepted a Canadian government offer to fund most of the new Gordie Howe bridge’s costs, and took ​the unusual step of using executive authority ⁠to bypass the legislature. Construction began in 2018 and the bridge is nearing completion. The U.S Homeland Security Department on January 30 published a rule declaring the bridge as an official port of entry.

The Canadian Embassy in Washington, the office of ‌Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the bridge authority did not immediately comment.

Senator Elissa Slotkin, ‌a Michigan Democrat, said “canceling this project will have serious repercussions. Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs.”

She added Mr. Trump ‍is “punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started. The only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the ‍teeth for a year.”