Trump Threatens to Block Opening of a New Bridge Spanning Detroit, Canada

resident Donald Trump on Monday (Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Manila) threatened to block the opening of a new Canadian-built bridge across the Detroit River, demanding that Canada turn over at least half of the ownership of the bridge and agree to other unspecified demands in his latest salvo over cross-border trade issues, Joey Cappelletti and Seung Min Kim reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The Gordie Howe International Bridge had been expected to open in early 2026. (Photo: Gordie Howe International Bridge)

“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” Trump said in a lengthy social media post, complaining that the US would get nothing from the bridge and that Canada did not use US steel to build it.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, named after a Canadian hockey star who played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 seasons, had been expected to open in early 2026, according to information on the project’s website.

The project was negotiated by former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder — a Republican — and paid for by the Canadian government to help ease congestion over the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Work has been underway since 2018. It’s unclear how Trump would seek to block the bridge from being opened.

Trump’s threat comes as the relationship between the US and Canada increasingly sours during the US president’s second term.

The United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is up for review this year, and Trump has been taking a hard-line position ahead of those talks, including by issuing new tariff threats.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, has spoken out on the world stage against economic coercion by the US. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said the Canadian-funded project is a “huge boon” to her state and its economic future.

“You’ll be able to move cargo from Montreal to Miami without ever stopping at a street light,” Slotkin told AP. 

“So to shoot yourself in the foot and threaten the Gordie Howe Bridge means that this guy has completely lost the plot on what’s good for us versus just what’s spite against the Canadians,” Slotkin said, Ed White also reported for AP.