Overview
- In a Truth Social post, President Trump said the bridge will not open unless the U.S. is “fully compensated” and suggested the United States should own “perhaps, at least one half” of the asset.
- The Gordie Howe International Bridge has been under construction since 2018, is publicly owned by Canada and Michigan, and is primarily financed by Canada with costs to be recouped through tolls.
- Administrative steps toward opening continue, including a Jan. 30 Department of Homeland Security rule naming the site a U.S. port of entry, while the White House and Canadian officials have not detailed how a shutdown would be executed.
- Michigan Democrats including Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Sen. Gary Peters warned a delay would raise costs and threaten jobs and supply chains, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said the bridge will open “one way or another.”
- The move extends Trump’s recent trade pressure on Canada, featuring tariff threats and grievances over dairy and Ontario liquor rules, alongside an unsubstantiated claim involving China and ice hockey tied to Canada’s China outreach.