--- title: Trump Criticizes Canada For 'Disinviting' U.S. From Gordie Howe Bridge Opening description: A spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson earlier this week said it would be "inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries" due to Trump's tariff threats. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/07/22/canada-cancels-joint-us-gordie-howe-bridge-celebration-trump-trade-threat/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-07-22T17:57:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-24T20:38:02.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Calls Out Canada For 'Disinviting' U.S. From Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Amid Trade Row og:description: A spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson earlier this week said it would be "inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries" due to Trump's tariff threats. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/07/22/canada-cancels-joint-us-gordie-howe-bridge-celebration-trump-trade-threat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee015fbd2c0b42a/6a60c64f4e70b21e71500aca/gordie-howe-cancel-canada-june12.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: gordie-howe-cancel-canada-june12.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Calls Out Canada For 'Disinviting' U.S. From Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Amid Trade Row twitter:description: A spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson earlier this week said it would be "inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries" due to Trump's tariff threats. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ee015fbd2c0b42a/6a60c64f4e70b21e71500aca/gordie-howe-cancel-canada-june12.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Calls Out Canada For 'Disinviting' U.S. From Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Amid Trade Row > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) and [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) Updated: Jul 24, 2026 8:38 PM UTCPublished: Jul 22, 2026 5:57 PM UTC  A view of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detriot, Michigan, and Windsor, Canada, on June 12, 2026. A view of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detriot, Michigan, and Windsor, Canada, on June 12, 2026. Jeff Kowalsky—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) and [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) Updated: Jul 24, 2026 8:38 PM UTCPublished: Jul 22, 2026 5:57 PM UTC President Donald Trump called out Canada for marking the opening of the [Gordie Howe International Bridge](https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/) on Friday without the U.S., after Canadian officials canceled a planned joint ribbon-cutting ceremony over the escalating trade row. "Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial tariffs to the United States," Trump [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116975941256357814). "But the original deal on the bridge, which was terribly negotiated by a previous Administration, no longer stands. We changed the terms of the deal so that the United States of America now gets 50% of the profit." The discord over the bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, to Windsor, Ontario, has become a symbol of the tensions between the two countries. At the ceremony held by Canadian officials, Ontario ⁠Premier Doug Ford acknowledged that Canada's relationship with the U.S. had been "challenged" in recent years, mentioning Trump's recent tariffs threat as one such example of the strain. But he said the bridge is an example "of what we can achieve when ​our two great countries work together." Dressed in a Team Canada jersey, in honor of prolific Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe, Ford said "Canada has never been more united” and vowed that “Ontario will be ready to respond to any new American tariffs \[and\] will not back down and will negotiate from a position of strength." In an apparent nod to Trump repeatedly mentioning his [ambitions to annex Canada and make it the 51st state](https://time.com/7297490/trump-plan-to-annex-canada-51st-state-mark-carney/), Ford said: “Let's keep working together as two friends, allies, and proudly independent countries.” Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, told TIME in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the joint ceremony had been canceled, stating "in light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries." “We remain committed to opening the bridge on July 27th, and to celebrating this milestone among Canadians on July 24th,” she added. The discord came after Trump on Monday [signed](https://time.com/article/2026/07/21/trump-tariffs-canada-alcohol-motor-vehicles-dairy/) proclamations imposing additional 50% tariffs on certain goods from Canada. Set to take effect on Aug. 19, the tariffs are a response to what the Trump Administration describes as “discriminatory treatment” from Canada. [Ottawa imposed ](https://time.com/7272192/us-cities-most-vulnerable-to-canadian-tariffs-report-trump-trade-war/)tariffs on some vehicle imports from the U.S. in 2025 amid a trade war sparked by Trump’s global [tariffs](https://time.com/7212166/what-are-tariffs-trump-imposing-import-taxes/), the majority of which were struck down by a [Supreme Court ruling](https://time.com/7380033/supreme-court-tarriffs-ruling-trump/) earlier this year. This time, the Trump Administration has imposed tariffs on Canada through the means of a rarely-used statute: Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act. “President Trump took decisive action to hold Canada accountable for its retaliation and discrimination, delivering on his promise to correct trade imbalances and ensure fairness for American workers, farmers, and businesses,” [said](https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2026/july/ambassador-greer-issues-statement-president-trump-imposing-section-338-tariffs-canada) U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Goods that transit the border under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will reportedly not be exempt from the new regime, according to the[ White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/07/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-additional-tariffs-on-canada/). The U.S. [declined](https://time.com/article/2026/07/02/us-declines-renewal-trade-pact-mexico-canada-impact/) to renew the trade pact with Mexico and Canada earlier this month, bringing further uncertainty. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday [told](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fLNZR-7EuQ) reporters he had spoken with Trump and said an agreement had been reached to “intensify” negotiations in the coming weeks in the hope of reaching a trade agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Of the incoming 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, Carney said “we will look at all options in terms of how we would respond, if they do come into effect.” **Read More:** [_Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Bridge Between U.S. and Canada, Demands Compensation_](https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/) This isn’t the first stumbling block that the U.S. and Canada have come across during the collaborative process of building the bridge. Trump, during his first term, had initially shown great excitement about the project, saying it would “serve as a vital economic link between our two countries” in a [joint statement](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-president-donald-j-trump-prime-minister-justin-trudeau/) with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017\. But the progress of the bridge came into question in February this year, when Trump [threatened to block](https://time.com/7377319/trump-threatens-canada-ontario-michigan-bridge/) its opening if the U.S. was not “compensated.” Trump claimed that Canada would own both sides of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, for which construction began in 2018, and complained that the infrastructure has been built with “virtually no U.S. content.” Carney addressed tensions at the time, telling reporters he and Trump had discussed the dispute. “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. More recently, there have been disagreements over the planned distribution of tolls. Carney on July 16[ said](https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW861916072026RP1/) Canada won't share bridge tolls with the U.S. until it recoups its initial investment into the project. He added that net revenues from the bridge would be split halfway between the U.S. and Canada. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on July 18 [announced](https://x.com/howardlutnick/status/2078579932318269754) a deal had been struck regarding the bridge. “Now, the U.S. gets 50% of net revenues until 2041 and a say in setting the tolls. Our share is before interest and principal,” he said. A draft agreement released ​on Wednesday does not specify that Canada will be compensated first for its initial investment. Addressing the mixed messaging on Thursday, Carney [said](https://x.com/sarobertson%5F/status/2080373656253763834) a previous deal between Canada and Michigan remains in place and "there is no splitting ​of tolls under that agreement until all of the debt is repaid." **Read More:** [_Trump Revisits Idea to Annex Canada, Days After Carney Calls for New Partnership With U.S._](https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/) The back-and-forth about the bridge is the latest example of frayed tensions between the U.S. and Canada. Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly spoken of his desire to make Canada the 51st state. Just last month, Trump revisited the idea when he [responded ](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116677910570104917)to an article that stated Canada had entered a “technical recession.” His answer, shared via social media, simply said “51st State!” Trump also referred to Carney as the “future Governor of Canada” in March—a title he had previously used[ in reference to Trudeau](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H-1XWfMLhJU). In a 2025 [interview with TIME, ](https://time.com/7280114/donald-trump-2025-interview-transcript/)marking his first 100 days in office, Trump was asked if he was “trolling” about making Canada the 51st state. “Actually, no, I’m not,” he told TIME. “I'm really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case… We don't need anything from Canada. 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