Trump threatens to block opening of US-Canada bridge

Spanning the Detroit River, the bridge is expected to open to traffic pending formal tests and approvals in early 2026. Construction began in 2018, but the project has been a point of contention between the countries for more than a decade.

It is estimated to have cost $6.4bn CAD (£3.4bn), according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In the statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that the US should own “at least one half of this asset”. He also suggested that Canada owned both the Canadian and US sides of the bridge.

The organisation developing the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, is wholly owned by the Canadian government, according to the project’s website.

Trump wrote: “The Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!'”

“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them,” he added.

The Moroun family – the American owners of the neighbouring Ambassador Bridge that also connects Detroit to Canada – appealed to Trump during his first term to stop construction of the new bridge, arguing that it infringed on their exclusive ability to collect tolls.

In response, Trump and then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement saying the bridge was a “vital economic link” between the countries.

Trump on Monday pointed to recent trade disputes between the two countries, saying that “the Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable”.

He also said that a trade deal signed between Canada and China last month would “eat Canada alive”.

Trump continued: “The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”

Canada’s bridge authority, the Ontario premier’s office and the Detroit mayor’s office did not immediately response to requests for comment.