Washington, DC, July 25 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the cancellation of a joint U.S.-Canada opening ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, claiming Washington had renegotiated the project’s financial terms to secure a 50% share of its net profits.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump responded to Canadian officials’ decision to cancel the bipartisan event marking the opening of the bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.
“Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States,” Trump wrote. He added that the original terms negotiated under a previous administration were “terribly negotiated” and no longer applied, claiming that under revised terms, “the United States of America now gets 50% of the Profit.”
The cancellation followed a sharp escalation in trade tensions between the two countries after the United States on Monday announced an additional 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods. The White House said the measures were in response to what it described as Canada’s “discriminatory treatment” of American products in the motor vehicle, dairy, and alcoholic beverage sectors. The tariffs are scheduled to take effect 30 days after Trump signed the proclamations.
Responding to the tariffs, the office of Canada’s Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson said in a statement, cited by The New York Times, “In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries.”
“The Gordie Howe International Bridge remains a vital infrastructure project that reflects years of hard work and will be a major economic driver,” Robertson added.
Addressing Trump’s claim that the 2012 agreement between Canada and Michigan governing the bridge “no longer stands,” Robertson told reporters after the ceremony that this was not the case, according to The New York Times.
Local Canadian leaders also expressed disappointment over the strained diplomatic atmosphere surrounding the milestone project.
“It’s regretful that this is what it’s come to,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said, according to The New York Times. “It just speaks to where we’re at with our relationship with the United States.”
He added, “It is a bit underwhelming, but that’s OK. We are where we are.”
Canadian officials held an inauguration ceremony on the Windsor side Friday to mark the completion of the multibillion-dollar cable-stayed bridge.
According to the bridge’s official website, representatives from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Bridging North America, and members of the Howe family participated in the opening ceremony.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is one of North America’s most significant infrastructure projects, built through a partnership based on a shared commitment to modernizing cross-border transportation.
The bridge is scheduled to open to traffic on Monday, July 27, 2026, with travelers able to begin crossing as early as noon.
The bridge and its connecting facilities create a direct highway-to-highway link between Ontario’s Highway 401 and Michigan’s Interstate 75, along a corridor that supports approximately $300 billion in annual trade between Michigan and Ontario.
Designed with six traffic lanes, 16 toll lanes, and 60 Canadian and U.S. inspection lanes, the new crossing and its modern ports of entry are expected to improve efficiency, reliability, and security for both commercial and passenger traffic. (ANI)
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