White House Insists Trump Threat to Canada Bridge Is “America First”

It was Canada that footed the bill for the Gordie Howe International Bridge that connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. The project created new American labor, and was constructed with U.S. supplies. The six-lane bridge was scheduled to open sometime in 2026—but then Donald Trump got involved.

On Monday night, the president claimed that he would block the opening unless Canada “fully compensated” America “for everything” and gives him what he wants: “at least half” ownership of the bridge. Since then, his administration has attempted to reframe the botched deal as an inexplicable White House win.

“I think the president was very clear and direct in his truth,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. “But just to reiterate, the fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howe bridge and will own land on both sides is unacceptable to the president. It is also unacceptable that more of this bridge is not made with more American-made materials.”

“Even more so than what President Barack Obama committed to the Canadians at the time, at the start of the project,” she continued.

“This is just another example of President Trump putting America’s interests first,” Leavitt added.

Trump hopped on Truth Social Monday to effectively kill the project as it stands, backtracking on his 2018 position that the bridge would be a welcome addition to American commerce.

“Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content,” Trump wrote online. “President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel. Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’”

Ahead of a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Michigan already has an ownership stake in the bridge, and that—despite what Trump said—the construction was made with U.S. steel and labor.

“This is going to be resolved,” Carney said.