Last week President Trump threatened to block the Gordie Howe International Bridge from opening. In a rambling post on social media, Trump argued that Canada is treating the U.S. unfairly without making any specific demands.

That’s left politicians on the Michigan and Ontario sides of the new span scrambling. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says he is unaware of any attempts by the Trump Administration to contact Canadian officials over the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Dilkens says that while Canada paid to build the span, ownership of the bridge is shared.

“Canada as a federal government and the state of Michigan as a state government jointly own the Gordie Howe Bridge,” says Dilkens. “We’re 50-50 owners and we will repay the cost of construction through the collection of tolls over a period of many years, after which we will split the proceeds of toll revenue moving forward.”

Meeting with Morouns

The Windsor mayor blames the Moroun family for the President’s sudden desire to halt the bridge opening. There are reports of a meeting between the wealthy Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hours before Trump threatened the Gordie Howe Bridge.

“You know I’m not sure what the billionaires are doing behind the scenes,” says Dilkens, “but we’re really interested in the families that are affected by this on both sides of the border.”

The U.S. House Oversight Committee has sent a letter to Lutnick requesting all documents related to his alleged meeting with Matthew Moroun.

Dilkens says retaliating by blocking the Ontario side of the Ambassador Bridge is not something Canada would consider, regardless of the White House’s stance on the Gordie Howe span. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says the international span remains on track to open early this year.

In this episode: 

• How the Gordie Howe Bridge affects both Canada and the United States.
• Republicans and Democrats react to Trump’s Truth Social post about the Gordie Howe Bridge. 
• Governor Whitmer’s administration’s final budget of her tenure. 

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

As the Gordie Howe International Bridge sets to open this year, President Trump signaled he may stop the opening in a Truth Social post. This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben discuss how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are reacting to this surprising development.  

This announcement from Trump blindsided many as the bridge is set to open later this year. Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who helped broker the deal for the bridge during his tenure as governor, wrote an op-ed in the Detroit News asking Trump to reconsider including a point by point demonstration as to why the President was wrong.  
Trump said the bridge is a bad deal but Synder disagreed saying American consumers will be hurt the most if the bridge remained closed.  

Later in the episode, Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press Reporter, discusses the Whitmer administration’s final budget. 

Whitmer’s 88-billion-dollar budget is an increase from the budget signed into law last year. Egan describes the economic picture leading up to this release as uncertain. “The economy is showing many signs of weakness amid tariffs… you also have the federal government, making significant cuts… on top of that, you also have, soaring health care costs, which is another major, major problem that they had to tackle and putting together this budget.” 

The budget addresses other things such as colleges and universities, a rainy day fund, and transportation. Of the new funding for 2027, 69% will support local road projects and 10% will support transit and rail programs, according to budget documents. 

• More from WDET:

  Michigan Democrats push back on Trump’s Gordie Howe Bridge threat

  MichMash: Budget battles and ballot changes in Michigan

  Whitmer opposes Trump’s tariffs and ICE actions

In a rambling post on Truth Social this week, President Trump threatened the Gordie Howe International Bridge — saying he won’t allow the bridge over the Detroit River to open until Canada compensates the U.S. for all it has given them. His exact demands are unclear.

The bridge has been expected to open sometime early this year. It’s meant to support a trade network that sees around $150 billion USD worth of goods cross between Detroit and Windsor annually.

Listen: Politicians react to Gordie Howe Bridge threats

In a statement, the Michigan Democratic Party called out the president, saying blocking the span from opening would amount to economic sabotage.

State Rep. Helena Scott represents the state’s 8th house district — including northwest Detroit, Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge. She argues the US isn’t owed anything for the new bridge.

“Michigan did not fund the construction,” says Scott, “Canada did. Canada financed nearly all of the projects after the US declined to put federal dollars into it. There is nothing owed back to the US.”

Trump’s criticism of the bridge comes despite issuing a joint statement in 2017 with then-Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, endorsing the Gordie Howe project. Construction of the span began during Trump’s first term in office in 2018.

Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell is shocked the president is now criticizing a project he once celebrated, in a state that voted for him.

“President Trump won Michigan,” says Dingell, “so why is he now turning around and screwing the workers who voted for him?”

Dingell says the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, the Moroun family, met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick before Trump’s threat. The Moroun’s fought to stop construction of the new bridge for years.

In a statement to WDET, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says the new span remains on track to open in early 2026. They say the Gordie Howe International Bridge benefits both countries, by encouraging investment, helping to maintain and create thousands of jobs, and generating new business and tourism opportunities.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor is nearly open, and its community benefits process is winding down.

The bridge will create a second international crossing between Detroit and Windsor-Essex and has been in the works for years. It was first proposed in the early 2000s and the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority was created in 2012. In 2019, a Community Benefits Plan was published by the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. 

Residents on both sides of the border, including Delray in Detroit and Sandwich in Windsor, were engaged through a number of meetings and an advisory council was assembled. The report highlights key issues raised by community members:

• Workforce development
• Landscaping and aesthetics
• Construction effects
• Community safety 
• Economic development opportunities

Heather Grondin is the Chief Relations Officer for the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. She joined The Metro to look at what community benefits were delivered for residents of Delray on the Detroit side, and Sandwich on the Windsor side.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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