It took over 2,000 days of construction. It cost $6.4 billion Canadian dollars. And it’s nearly ready to open. But the Gordie Howe Bridge — a 1.5-mile span connecting Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario — is now caught in the crossfire of Donald Trump’s escalating hostility toward Canada.
In a Truth Social post on February 9th, Trump declared he would not allow the bridge to open until the United States is “fully compensated” and Canada treats the U.S. with what he called fairness and respect. It was a dramatic reversal from the man who, during his first term, eagerly supported the very same project.
What Changed?
Back in 2017, Trump stood alongside then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and issued a joint statement celebrating the bridge as a vital economic link between the two countries. His administration listed it among 50 priority projects for national security and emergency preparedness. In 2019, he signed a spending bill that sent $15 million in U.S. funding toward the bridge’s inspection and screening systems. His ambassador to Canada even attended the groundbreaking ceremony with a shovel in hand.
But Trump’s second term has brought a very different tone. He’s slapped Canada with aggressive tariffs using emergency powers, repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the “51st state,” and his ambassador in Ottawa has adopted an openly confrontational posture. The bridge, once a symbol of partnership, has become a bargaining chip.
Who Benefits From Blocking the Bridge?
Here’s where the story gets especially interesting. The Gordie Howe bridge was always meant to offer an alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, which has been the main crossing between Detroit and Windsor since 1929. The Ambassador Bridge’s billionaire owner, Matthew Moroun, has fought against the Gordie Howe project for decades because it threatens his monopoly — and his toll revenue.
According to reporting by ProPublica and The New York Times, Moroun met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just hours before Trump posted his threat. Lutnick then spoke with Trump by phone. Trump’s post even echoed specific claims from a 2018 commercial that the Ambassador Bridge company had produced urging Trump to kill the Gordie Howe project.
Former Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who was instrumental in getting the bridge built, put it plainly: if the opening is delayed, the biggest winner is the Ambassador Bridge company. Every day the Gordie Howe bridge stays closed, Snyder argued, the Ambassador Bridge makes more money at the public’s expense.
What’s at Stake for Michigan
Michigan sits at the heart of the American auto industry. Car parts cross the U.S.-Canada border constantly, and delays at the border can literally stop production lines. The Ambassador Bridge forces trucks through traffic lights due to limited highway connections — a bottleneck the Gordie Howe bridge was designed to fix with direct highway interchanges on both sides.
Michigan also learned the hard way in 2022 what happens when there’s only one major crossing. When Canadian convoy protesters blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, it disrupted supply chains across the region. The Gordie Howe bridge would provide a modern, publicly owned backup route.
Brent Pilarski, a union leader representing Michigan laborers, stressed that auto parts need to arrive on time or cars simply can’t be built. Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin both pushed back hard against Trump’s threat, warning it would mean higher costs for businesses, weaker supply chains, and fewer jobs for the people of Michigan.
Misleading Claims
Trump’s post also included some claims that don’t hold up. He suggested the bridge is solely owned by Canada — it’s actually jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan. He blamed President Obama for allowing the bridge to be built with “virtually no U.S. content,” but U.S. materials were in fact used in construction. And while Canada did fund the bridge itself, the tolls collected will go toward repaying that investment.
What Happens Next?
The bridge is expected to open later this year, but it needs staffing from the Department of Homeland Security to operate. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem previously assured Michigan’s senators at her confirmation hearing that the bridge would be properly staffed. So far, neither DHS, the White House, nor the Commerce Department has responded to questions about Trump’s threat.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Trump asked Ambassador Pete Hoekstra to help smooth over the situation. But Hoekstra, who has mirrored Trump’s hostile approach toward Canada throughout his posting, has been publicly silent on the matter.
For the people of Michigan — and for anyone who depends on trade flowing across the busiest land border in North America — this isn’t a political game. It’s their livelihoods on the line, caught between a billionaire bridge owner’s financial interests and a president willing to use critical infrastructure as leverage in a trade war he started.
