Trump threatens to halt launch of US-Canada bridge; demands halt until ‘compensation’ talks

US President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of a new bridge linking the United States and Canada, marking another escalation in his criticism of the neighboring country after he suggested Canada become the 51st US state.Trump said the United States should own “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is still under construction and connects the Canadian province of Ontario to the US state of Michigan.An article published by Trump in “Truth Social” accused Canada of treating the United States “unfairly” and claimed that Canada “does not compensate enough.” He wrote: “It is well known that Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Now, things are improving rapidly in the United States! But imagine Canada is building a giant bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They had both Canadian and American aspects, and of course, it was built with almost no American content.“He further warned that he would prevent the bridge from opening unless Canada negotiated with the United States and provided adequate compensation for what the United States “gave them.”“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and it is important that Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect we deserve,” Trump wrote in the Truth Society post.He later added that the United States would “begin negotiations immediately.”The Republican president also reiterated his complaint that Canada owns both sides of the bridge and used “virtually” no American products in its construction.He wrote, “It’s no secret that the country of Canada has been very unfair to the United States for decades. Now, things are rapidly improving in the United States! But imagine Canada is building a giant bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They have both Canadian and American sides, and of course, build it with almost no American content.”Construction on the $4.7 billion bridge, named for the late Canadian-born National Hockey League great Gordie Howe, began in 2018 and is expected to open later this year.The bridge is fully funded by Canada and will be jointly owned by the Canadian government and the state of Michigan, according to a fact sheet released by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.Trump also criticized Canada’s broader foreign policy direction, writing: “Now, on top of that, Prime Minister (Mark) Carney wants a deal with China – which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the rest! I don’t think so.”Tensions increased after Washington threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canada after Carney visited Beijing last month and announced a preliminary trade deal with China.The U.S. leader also reiterated claims that Beijing would “end all ice hockey in Canada,” a statement widely refuted by critics.This is not the first time Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the trade arrangements between the two countries. Speaking at the 56th annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos last month, he said Canada “gets a lot of freebies” from Washington and suggested the country wasn’t showing enough gratitude.Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Canada on trade issues. He had earlier called for the United States to annex Canada, but he has largely backed away from that idea in recent months.Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned at Davos that the U.S.-led global governance system was experiencing “fractures,” widely interpreted as an allusion to Trump’s policies, while calling for middle-level countries to work more closely together.