Trump Demands 50% Ownership of Detroit–Canada Bridge

President Donald Trump threatened in a Monday social media post to block the opening of a new US-Canada bridge over the Detroit River.

Trump endorsed the new bridge during his first presidency. (Photo: Gordie Howe International Bridge) 

But, as usual, he paired the threat with misleading claims and omissions — including the assertion that if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a trade deal with China, “the first thing China will do is terminate ALL ice hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate the Stanley Cup,” Daniel Dale reported for CNN.

Some of Trump’s assertions echo claims made by the family that owns a nearly century-old toll bridge over the same river and has fought for years to stop the opening of the new span — including, in 2018, by running an ad on a Fox News morning show Trump was known to watch.

Trump endorsed the new bridge during his first presidency.

In February 2017, Trump issued a joint statement with then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying they looked forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would serve as a vital economic link between the two countries.

Jeff Watson, who represented part of the Windsor area as a Conservative member of Parliament from 2004 to 2015, told CNN: “The absurdity is Trump 1.0 takes no issue with the arrangement, wants the construction expedited, while Trump 2.0 now wants to use it as leverage in a trade war he started.”

Apparently unaware of the agreement, Trump demanded that Canada hand over half of the bridge’s ownership.

But ownership is split between the state of Michigan and Canada, as government documents show.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens confirmed this to CNN, Carney told reporters, and former Republican Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wrote in a Tuesday op-ed.