Trump Blocks Bridge After Billionaire Competitor Meets Commerce Secretary
Donald Trump threatened to block Canada’s Gordie Howe International Bridge hours after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met privately with Detroit billionaire Matthew Moroun, who controls the competing Ambassador Bridge, according to The New York Times. Two officials briefed on the meeting confirmed Lutnick met with Moroun in Washington on Monday, and Lutnick subsequently spoke with Trump by phone about the matter.
The Moroun family has spent decades attempting to prevent the Gordie Howe bridge through litigation and lobbying, including a challenge that reached Canada’s Supreme Court. The family previously urged Trump to halt construction of the $4.7 billion publicly funded bridge, which will compete with the Ambassador Bridge for over $300 million in daily cross-border trade once operational.
Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to block the bridge unless Canada addressed “a long list of grievances,” according to the Times report published Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s position by claiming he was “putting America’s interest first,” objecting to Canadian control of the bridge and land on both sides, and criticizing insufficient use of American-made materials.
The timing coincides with escalating tension between the nations since Trump’s election, during which he has questioned Canadian sovereignty and imposed tariffs on steel, lumber, and automobiles. The Gordie Howe bridge is fully financed by Canada and will be jointly operated by Canada and Michigan, making Trump’s threat an intervention in a cross-border infrastructure project already under construction.