In a lengthy post on Truth Social, President Trump said he would not allow the Gordie Howe international bridge - connecting Windsor (Ontario, Canada) with Detroit (Michigan, USA) - to open until the US is "fully compensated" and Canada treats its neighbor "fairly and respectfully".
With all that we have given them, perhaps we should own at least half of this asset. Revenue from the US market will be huge," Trump wrote.
The US President believes that Canada is benefiting disproportionately from the project, as it is built "almost without any US components". He accused an immunity mechanism issued under President Barack Obama of allowing Canada to evade "Buy American Goods" requests.
The US leader also reiterated the prolonged grievances related to tariffs on Canadian milk, provincial regulations restricting US alcohol consumption, as well as Ottawa's recent rapprochement with China.
The new 6-lane bridge is expected to open early this year, after completing the final testing and inspection stages and is expected to become one of the busiest trade routes between the two countries.
The project started in 2018, with a total estimated investment of about 6.4 billion USD, an increase compared to the initial estimate of 5.7 billion USD.
According to the Canadian Government, the bridge is fully funded by Ottawa, but ownership will belong to the public sector of Canada and Michigan.
Mayor of Windsor - Mr. Drew Dilkens - said that some content in the US President's post is "completely crazy", and affirmed that US steel has been used for the construction part in Michigan.
In his first term, Mr. Trump supported the bridge project, considering it an "important economic link", despite lobbying by the owners of the Ambassador Bridge - who had long opposed the project. The Ambassador Bridge, which also connects Detroit with Windsor, inaugurated in 1929, has been overloaded and degraded.
Recent threats were made in the context of increasing US-Canada relations. Recently, Mr. Trump also warned of the possibility of imposing high tariffs on aircraft manufactured in Canada and proposed sanctions if Ottawa strengthens trade relations with Beijing.
On the Canadian side, Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected accusations that Canada is pursuing a free trade agreement with China, and called on Washington to respect Ottawa's sovereignty.
