US President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which will link Ontario and Michigan, amid escalating tensions with Canada over economic and trade issues.
“I will not allow this bridge to be opened until the US receives full compensation for everything we have given them and, furthermore, until Canada treats the US with the fairness and respect we deserve,” the president wrote on his Truth Social account this Monday, on which occasion he also announced the “immediate” start of negotiations between the two countries.
The Gordie Howe Bridge, which costs more than $4 billion to construct, according to the Department of Transportation, will be 1.5 miles long and is destined to become the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, as well as a key piece of infrastructure for trade between the two countries.
Trump’s statements come after he threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada, the US’s second-largest trading partner, in the wake of Ottawa’s recent rapprochement with Beijing, including a deal that will allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market annually and the reduction of tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports to China.
The relationship between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been tense for several months, marked by disagreements on trade and tariff policies.
Despite recent bilateral meetings, Trump harshly criticized Canada’s measures towards China and other economic decisions, while Carney defended his country’s commercial autonomy and sought to balance relations with the US and global partners, reflecting a delicate diplomatic context that further complicates the reopening of relations.
