The US President said that his country should control “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is still under construction and will connect Ontario with the US state of Michigan. The US 4.7-billion bridge is scheduled to open later this year
Canadian PM Mark Carney and American President Donald Trump. FILE PIC
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a new bridge between the United States (US) and Canada, escalating tensions with a country he has previously suggested should become the 51st state of the country, news agency AFP reported.
Trump said the US should control “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is still under construction and will connect Ontario with the US state of Michigan.
Construction on the US 4.7-billion bridge—named after the late Canadian-born National Hockey League legend Gordie Howe—began in 2018 and is scheduled to open later this year.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The 79-year-old Republican argued that Canada owns both sides of the bridge and used “virtually” no US-made products in its construction, AFP reported.
However, a factsheet from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority states that the bridge was fully financed by Canada and will be jointly owned by the Canadian government and the state of Michigan.
Trade tensions deepen as Trump attacks Carney over China ties
Trump also criticised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying, “And now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister (Mark) Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so.”
Washington has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada following Carney’s visit to Beijing last month, where he finalised a preliminary trade agreement with China.
Trump meanwhile repeated the outlandish claim that Beijing would “terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada”, AFP reported.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Canada over trade. He previously called for the US to annex Canada, though he has largely stopped making that claim in recent months.
Carney, for his part, warned at last month’s Davos forum that the US-led global system of governance is experiencing “a rupture,” a thinly veiled reference to Trump’s disruptive approach, and urged mid-level powers to work more closely together.
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