U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he will block the opening of a new bridge and trade route connecting Ontario and Michigan until the United States is “compensated for everything we have given” Canada.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social website, Trump called for immediate negotiations over the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., that he said would seek U.S. ownership of “at least one half of this asset.”
He cited Ottawa’s recent trade agreement with China, Canadian tariff quotas for American dairy products, and Ontario’s ban on U.S. alcohol among his irritants with Canada, and that the bridge is the latest example of Canada treating the U.S. “very unfairly for decades.”
“Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content,” Trump wrote. “President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’ What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!”
He later continued: “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.
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“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical.”
The Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority, the Canadian Crown corporation responsible for overseeing the bridge’s construction, said Friday that “major construction” is complete and testing work is underway leading up to this year’s opening.
The bridge will serve as a new crossing within the busy Ontario-Michigan trade corridor and aims to ease traffic on the nearby Ambassador Bridge.
The Canadian government says it is funding the entire project, which will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan.
About a third of all trade between the U.S. and Canada occurs between Detroit and Windsor.
Trump’s post is the latest sign of souring relations with Canada since Prime Minister Mark Carney’s widely viewed and praised speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Carney in that speech warned of a “rupture” to the U.S.-led international rules-based order and urged countries to band together to withstand pressure from great powers, a reference to Trump’s global trade wars and attacks on allies.
In response, Trump told the same gathering of political and business leaders that “Canada lives because of the United States” and warned Carney to “remember that.”
Trump has since criticized Canada for reaching a deal with China that eases tariffs on each country’s goods and will allow a certain amount of Chinese EVs to be sold into Canada.
His post Monday repeated his claim that China will “eat Canada alive,” adding the U.S. will “just get the leftovers.”
“The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup,” Trump added.
Carney has repeatedly said his government is not pursuing free trade with China as Trump has claimed, but rather seeking a “strategic partnership” that allows for limited economic cooperation.
The strained relationship comes ahead of this summer’s scheduled review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade.
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