The Daily Populous Tuesday February 10th, 2026 day edition
Authored by detroitnews.com and submitted by oo7plyr

Feb. 9, 2026 Updated Feb. 10, 2026, 8:40 a.m. ET

Lansing — President Donald Trump threatened Monday evening to prevent the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor from opening until Canada treats the United States with, what he described as, "fairness and respect."

The Republican president issued the statement about the multibillion-dollar Canadian-financed project, which has been under construction since 2018, on the social media platform Truth Social. The bridge project was once touted by Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder as an "enduring symbol of two nations" partnership.

However, in the new post, Trump complained that Ontario won't allow U.S. alcoholic products on its shelves, that Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, was attempting to work with China and about Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy products.

"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve," Trump wrote. "We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY."

"With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical."

The new bridge has been expected to open at some point this year.

It will be jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan, with Canada providing financing for the project, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. Michigan lawmakers declined to contribute to the cost more than a decade ago during Snyder's first term in office.

A spokeswoman for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the bridge 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," Whitmer spokeswoman Stacey LaRouche said Monday evening in a statement.

The bridge spans the Detroit River, connecting southwest Detroit to northwest Windsor, Ontario. At 150 feet above the Detroit River and 720 feet high, the Gordie Howe will be the largest Canadian and U.S. land port along the border. An estimated 6,000 people are expected to commute to Detroit from Ontario each day by the bridge.

Once open to commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, the publicly owned span will compete with the privately owned Ambassador Bridge, providing direct access in the U.S. to I-75 and Interstate 96 in Detroit, and in Canada to Ontario Highway 401.

Representatives of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and the Canadian consul general's office in Detroit could not be reached immediately for comment on Monday evening.

One way Trump could prevent the bridge from operating is to block staffing of the customs plaza on the Michigan side, which the U.S. government agreed to staff years ago.

Both Michigan senators a year ago pressed Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her confirmation hearing in the Senate for assurances on staffing customs and inspections at the new bridge. Noem committed to staffing the plaza on the northern border.

“With the bridge as well, and staffing up on that ... I've assured Senator (Elissa) Slotkin as well that our focus is there to make sure that it is staffed appropriately," Noem told Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township.

Peters slammed Trump's Howe Bridge missive in a statement Monday evening.

“This statement from the president is completely backwards," Peters said. "Michigan’s economy is highly integrated with Canada and the Detroit-Windsor corridor is one of the busiest border crossings for trade in our entire country. We’ve wanted this bridge for years because it will be a boon for our economy. This is another case of the President undermining Michigan businesses and workers.”

Detroit's automakers have long supported the construction of a second bridge in Detroit to expedite the delivery of auto parts and fully assembled vehicles through the busiest border crossing in North America — and create redundancy. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel cannot accommodate large commercial trucks and is largely used for passenger vehicles crossing the border.

Spokespersons for Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis declined to comment Monday night.

Slotkin said Trump's threat to “tank” the bridge is “awful” for the state's economy.“Canceling this project will have serious repercussions. Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs,” Slotkin said in a statement Monday evening. “With this threat, the president is punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started. 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.”Slotkin said Trump’s agenda for personal retribution “should not come before what's best for us. Canada is our friend —not our enemy."

"And I will do everything in my power to get this critical project back on track," she added.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, noted the new bridge was built with union workers on both sides of the Detroit River and that Trump has previously praised the project.

“This bridge was negotiated by a Republican Governor, and in 2017 Trump endorsed the bridge calling it a 'vital economic link between our two countries,'" Dingell wrote on X.

Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Trump had endorsed the bridge project as a priority in 2017, during his first term in the White House.

“The path forward isn’t deconstructing established trade corridors, it’s actually building bridges,” Laing said.

Millions of dollars in federal tax dollars have gone into preparing the U.S. plaza in southwest Detroit, which was planned to be large enough to fit more than 100 football fields.

At the 2018 groundbreaking, Snyder, who left office at the end of 2018, said the bridge would be "a thriving legacy named for a legend," referring to the former Detroit Red Wing hockey great. Howe represented the best of Canada and the United States, Snyder said.

"Every Michigander should thank every Canadian," Snyder said in 2018.

At the time, the Republican-led Michigan Legislature refused to fund half of the project. Snyder helped forge a deal in which Canada paid to build the bridge, and the U.S. customs plaza, and expects to recoup its investment through vehicle tolls.

Snyder's successor, Whitmer, has worked across party lines with Trump during his second term in the White House. Trump’s statement about the bridge Monday marked a significant shift away from his past cordiality to Michigan leaders’ wishes. Whitmer has been a vocal supporter of the bridge, saying previously that it would “spur economic development for many years to come.”

“This bridge also affirms Michigan's ongoing partnership with Canada, the top purchaser of U.S. goods among countries,” Whitmer said in 2021.

Trump's threat to block the new Detroit-to-Windsor bridge from opening came a day before a delegation of Michigan Republican state lawmakers was expected to visit with members of the Trump administration in Washington, D.C.

In a social media post over the weekend, state Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles, said members of the House Republican caucus were scheduled to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

A spokesman for House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, did not immediately return a message seeking comment regarding Trump’s threat.

Staff Writers Beth LeBlanc, Grant Schwab and Louis Aguilar contributed.

AuraaOohlala on February 10th, 2026 at 00:35 UTC »

Nothing says ‘pro-growth’ like blocking a $6 billion trade artery that’s already 90% finished. Peak efficiency.

Zombie_John_Strachan on February 10th, 2026 at 00:35 UTC »

Is this the part where Canada is supposed to rename it after Trump?

For context, the US wouldn't allocate funding for the bridge so Canada paid 100% of the $6B cost. Now Canada will collect tolls to pay it off.

The real story is the owner of the Ambassador Bridge wants to keep their monopoly and had been pressuring Trump for a decade to axe the deal.

Also, in the same tirade Trump says that China will terminate all hockey and ban the Stanley Cup as part of their new trade deal with Canada. Joke's on him - Canadian teams are doing just fine at keeping the Cup out of Canada without help.

countraagh on February 10th, 2026 at 00:34 UTC »

The whiny bitch never shuts his fucking mouth.