--- title: Trump Threatens to Block Bridge Between U.S. and Canada description: One Canadian official has referred to Trump's threat as "insane." canonical: https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-10T13:43:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-10T18:53:46.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Threatens to Block Bridge Between U.S. and Canada og:description: One Canadian official has referred to Trump's threat as "insane." og:url: https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58bba0a1bfd8e290/6998cf1ea97fc02f62a7542e/GettyImages-2240467708.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: EGYPT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Threatens to Block Bridge Between U.S. and Canada twitter:description: One Canadian official has referred to Trump's threat as "insane." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58bba0a1bfd8e290/6998cf1ea97fc02f62a7542e/GettyImages-2240467708.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Bridge Between U.S. and Canada, Demands Compensation by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Feb 10, 2026 6:53 PM UTCPublished: Feb 10, 2026 1:43 PM UTC  Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney greets U.S. President Donald Trump during a summit in Egypt on Oct. 13, 2025. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney greets U.S. President Donald Trump during a summit in Egypt on Oct. 13, 2025.Evan Vucci—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Feb 10, 2026 6:53 PM UTCPublished: Feb 10, 2026 1:43 PM UTC President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a $4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, to Windsor, Ontario, in the latest display of frayed relations between the U.S. and Canada. In a lengthy social media post, Trump raised a number of issues against his northern neighbor and doubled down on his often-cited claim that Canada has “treated the United States very unfairly for decades.” The President claimed that Canada will own both sides of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, for which construction [began](https://gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com/project/our-story/) in 2018 and is nearing completion, and complained that the infrastructure has been built with “virtually no U.S. content.” After accusing Ontario of refusing to stock some U.S.-produced alcoholic products in shops and complaining about Canada's tariffs on dairy products, Trump declared he will “not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated” for everything it has “given” to Canada. “We will start negotiations immediately,” he warned. “With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday told reporters he had spoken with Trump about a number of topics, including the bridge. “I explained that Canada, of course, paid for the construction of the bridge, over $4 billion. That the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the government of Canada,” Carney said. He pushed back against Trump's claims about the building materials, arguing that both Canadian and U.S. steel had been used. The Prime Minister went on to say the “situation will be settled,” but offered no further details. Carney's response points to the [Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement](https://gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com/the-canada-michigan-crossing-agreement/), signed in June 2012, which states that the Canadian government will pay for the bridge, and use toll funds—collected over 30 years—as reimbursement. The agreement also stipulates that the bridge, named after prolific Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, will be publicly owned by the governments of Canada and Michigan, and all iron and steel used in construction will be sourced from either the U.S. or Canada. The offer from the Canadian government to cover most of the costs was accepted by Michigan's then-Gov. Rick Snyder. All seemed to be going well in February 2017, when Trump and then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released [a joint statement,](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-president-donald-j-trump-prime-minister-justin-trudeau/) celebrating the project and calling the crossing “a vital economic link between our two countries.” More recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [published a rule](https://assets.aila.org/files/646f12ba-d503-4e8f-949c-d1ef1d47e135/26020202.pdf?1770050442) on Jan. 30, declaring the bridge will serve as an official port of entry. It said the crossing will save $12.7 million annually for travelers, in part by reducing congestion. Trump’s new threat to suspend the bridge’s opening has prompted criticism among Canadian officials. “It’s just insane. When I read that post, I really can't believe what I'm reading,” Mayor of Windsor Drew Dilkens [told](https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7082187) CBC, adding that the bridge should create an opportunity “where a Prime Minister would meet a President in the middle, they would shake hands, and they would celebrate this victory for two nations. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has created an environment where I don't think that is going to happen in the near term.” Michigan Democrats have also criticized Trump's statement regarding the multibillion dollar project. “The Gordie Howe Bridge is an incredibly important infrastructure project for Michigan. President Trump's threat tonight to tank it is awful for our state's economy,” [said](https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/2021013398129877408) Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Canceling this project will have serious repercussions. Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs.” Slotkin argued that Trump's threat is merely “punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started” and, in reference to Canada's recent talks with China, went on to say: “the only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year.” TIME has reached out to the White House for comment. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also expressed the importance of the construction efforts. “This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation. It's going to open one way or another, and the Governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting,” said Whitmer’s office in a statement to TIME. However, some Michigan Republicans have come out in support of Trump. The state's House Speaker Matt Hall echoed the President's argument about U.S.-Canada relations. “Canada should treat us better and offer fair trade terms, especially when it comes to American farmers and liquor producers being unfairly targeted and having their products taken off of Canadian shelves,” Hall said in a statement to TIME. “President Trump is using the right leverage points to renegotiate better agreements... he will make sure Michigan and the United States come out ahead.”  Spanning the Detroit River, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will connect southern Detroit, Michigan, U.S., and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It's pictured here on April 17, 2025. Dominic Gwinn—Getty Images Trump’s frustration over the bridge marks the latest tension between the President and Canada. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Trump told attendees that Canada “lives because of the United States.” In a filmed address from Québec City, [Carney responded to the claim](https://time.com/7357333/carney-trump-row-united-states-canada-relationship/), firmly stating: “Canada does not live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.” Trump had lashed out at Canada after taking umbrage at Carney's own Davos speech, during which he boldly stated that the old world order is “not coming back.” He encouraged people not to “mourn” the way things used to be and advised that “nostalgia is not a strategy.” Carney urged middle powers to stand up for themselves, accusing “great powers” of using economic pressure to yield results. While he did not name the U.S. or its President, Carney's speech came in the midst of Trump attempting to acquire Greenland and after long-repeated threats to annex Canada and make it the “[51st state](https://time.com/7297490/trump-plan-to-annex-canada-51st-state-mark-carney/).” Carney has since explored alternative trade alliances and avenues for Canada. After traveling to Beijing last month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he announced that Canada and China had forged a “[new strategic partnership](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2026/01/16/prime-minister-carney-forges-new-strategic-partnership-peoples)” focused on “energy, agri-food, and trade.” Trump lashed out at the alliance while threatening the opening of the bridge, claiming China “will eat Canada alive,” leaving the U.S. with “the leftovers.” In a nod to the bridge's namesake, he went on to predict that China will “terminate all ice hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/"},"headline":"Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Bridge Between U.S. and Canada, Demands Compensation","datePublished":"2026-02-10T13:43:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-10T18:53:46.000Z","description":"One Canadian official has referred to Trump's threat as \"insane.\"","url":"https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58bba0a1bfd8e290/6998cf1ea97fc02f62a7542e/GettyImages-2240467708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58bba0a1bfd8e290/6998cf1ea97fc02f62a7542e/GettyImages-2240467708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"EGYPT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-TRUMP","caption":"EGYPT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-TRUMP","creditText":"Evan Vucci—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/","name":"Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Bridge Between U.S. and Canada, Demands Compensation"}}]}] ```