President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions with Canada on Monday, threatening to block the opening of a major new bridge linking the two countries unless Ottawa agrees to renegotiate trade terms and treats the United States with what he called “fairness and respect.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would not allow the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a long-planned crossing connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario — to open until U.S. demands are addressed. Construction on the bridge began in 2018, and it is currently 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,” Trump wrote.
The president said the United States has contributed heavily to Canada’s economic success and argued that Washington deserves a significant stake in the new infrastructure. Trump called for immediate negotiations and suggested the U.S. should own a substantial portion of the bridge.
“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote. “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.”
Trump cited several recent actions by Canada as justification for his stance, including Ontario’s decision to remove U.S. alcoholic products from store shelves in response to American tariffs. He also pointed to Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products and Canada’s recent trade deal with China, which he has criticized as undermining American economic interests.
The Truth Social post marked the latest development in an ongoing and increasingly heated exchange between Washington and Ottawa over trade policy. Tensions between the two countries flared last year after Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canadian goods.
In July, Trump hit Canada with 35 percent tariffs, citing what he described as unfair trade practices. The dispute intensified in October when Trump increased the tariffs by an additional 10 percent after an anti-tariff advertisement aired during the World Series. The ad angered the president and further strained relations between the neighboring countries.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later publicly apologized for the advertisement. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a vocal critic of Trump, produced and paid for the ad, according to previous reports.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge has been promoted by officials on both sides of the border as a key trade and transportation link between the U.S. and Canada, particularly for the auto industry and cross-border commerce. Trump, however, has made clear that he views the project through the lens of broader trade fairness and leverage.
By tying the bridge’s opening to trade negotiations, Trump signaled he is willing to use major infrastructure projects as bargaining chips to secure what he sees as better deals for the United States. His comments underscore a continued hardline approach to trade that prioritizes American economic interests and demands concessions from trading partners.
Whether Canada will agree to Trump’s demands remains unclear, but the president’s warning has injected new uncertainty into a project years in the making and added fresh fuel to a trade dispute that shows little sign of cooling.
