WASHINGTON, Feb 10,  (V7N) – US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to block the opening of a new bridge linking the United States and Canada, escalating tensions with Ottawa amid renewed disputes over trade and sovereignty.

Trump said the United States should own “at least half” of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, currently under construction between Ontario in Canada and Michigan in the US, warning that he would not allow the bridge to open unless Washington’s demands are met.

“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect that we deserve,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He added that negotiations would begin “immediately.”

Construction of the $4.7 billion bridge, named after late Canadian-born NHL legend Gordie Howe, began in 2018 and the crossing is scheduled to open later this year. According to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, the project has been financed entirely by Canada and will be jointly owned by the Canadian government and the US state of Michigan.

Trump claimed that Canada effectively owns both sides of the bridge and alleged that “virtually no” US products were used in its construction.

The president also criticised Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing him of seeking closer economic ties with China. “Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so,” Trump said.

Washington recently threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada following Carney’s visit to Beijing last month, where a preliminary trade agreement with China was signed.

Trump further repeated an unfounded claim that China would “terminate all ice hockey being played in Canada,” drawing widespread skepticism.

Relations between Washington and Ottawa have remained strained since Trump returned to office in January 2025. He has repeatedly clashed with Canada over trade and economic policy and had earlier suggested that the country should become the 51st US state — a claim he has largely stopped repeating in recent months.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Carney warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month that the US-led global system of governance is facing “a rupture,” a remark widely interpreted as a response to Trump’s disruptive foreign and trade policies.

END/WD/RH