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Trump threatens bridge opening
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan, saying on Truth Social, "I will not permit the opening of this bridge until the United States has been fully compensated for all that we have given them."
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The threat was reinforced by the White House, where spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that "the fact that Canada controls what crosses the Gordie Howe Bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president."
The bridge is described as a $4.7 billion, six-lane span expected to open June 15, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for Friday, according to The Detroit News.
The Detroit News also reported that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified that Customs & Border Protection staff are "good to go" to facilitate trade and travel across the newly built, 1.5-mile span from Detroit to Windsor.
In parallel, Le Devoir reported that Trump had threatened to block the bridge’s inauguration planned for the coming weeks and that U.S. elected Democrats sought explanations from an influent MAGA donor about a meeting with the Trump government in the hours before those threats.
Negotiations and ribbon-cutting
As talks continued between the U.S. and Canada over opening the new span, Crain’s Detroit said the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s completion would be celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event this week, even as the opening date remained uncertain.
The Detroit Free Press reported that sources told it a ribbon-cutting event was planned for Friday, June 12, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and former Gov. Rick Snyder expected to attend, though it was unclear if any federal officials would participate.
Tara Carson, director of communications for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, said over email that "The project team is progressing well towards a spring opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge."
The Detroit News reported that invitations to the ribbon-cutting went out Monday after a conversation between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Susie Wiles, chief of staff to President Donald Trump, according to sources briefed on the plans.
In the same reporting stream, the Detroit News said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the Senate Appropriations Committee, "We have the personnel dedicated, ready to move," while noting that negotiations between Canada and the United States still had to be resolved outside DHS.
What’s at stake next
The Detroit News framed the bridge opening as a step that would follow an international standoff that strained U.S.-Canadian trade and political relations, with the opening to traffic set for June 15 after eight years of construction.
“Le président américain, Donald Trump, menace-t-il la fluidité du commerce par la route entre le Canada et les États-Unis pour protéger les intérêts économiques d’un des contributeurs à sa caisse électorale”
It also described how Trump had demanded concessions from Canada in trade talks or a share of future toll revenue as a condition for opening the 1.5-mile, six-lane span, and said no approvals would be granted without the blessing of the Trump White House.
Le Devoir reported that the bridge, with six lanes, promises to reduce crossing times by about 20 minutes per trip and generate estimated transport savings of 2.3 billion dollars over 30 years, while also noting that the bridge’s costs are estimated at nearly 6.4 billion Canadian dollars and were almost entirely financed by Canada.
The American Prospect said the bridge has become a point of leverage in trade talks between the U.S. and Canada and quoted Evan Solomon, who heads the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, saying, "… But you know there’s a lot of factors. The bridge is one factor, trade, there’s a lot of industries that are being impacted."
Crain’s Detroit added that the ribbon-cutting would occur as talks continued, with the bridge authority’s completion celebration proceeding despite the uncertain opening date.
