Trump Threatens to Block Gordie Howe Bridge Opening (Full Transcript)

Trump says he’ll halt the Canada-funded Gordie Howe Bridge unless the U.S. is compensated, drawing backlash from Michigan Democrats.
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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: President Trump is threatening to halt the opening of this bridge, the Gordie Howe Bridge between the U.S. and Canada, named, of course, for the famous Canadian hockey player. It's one of the busiest trade routes in North America. The bridge is almost done. It's set to open early this year. But President Trump, as the U.S.-Canada relationship kind of deteriorates, as his personal relationship with the prime minister bottoms out, is finding new reasons to halt this bridge from opening. He says that it didn't use American steel. He's complaining that the U.S. isn't going to get any revenues from the tolls. The president says on Truth Social, 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 fairness and respect that we deserve. Now, Canada paid for this bridge. It cost more than $5 billion. It was planning to recoup those costs from the toll revenues. That could potentially take decades. This is drawing outrage from some Democrats in Michigan. The governor there saying that the bridge is going to open one way or the other. The Democratic senator, Alyssa Slotkin, saying that the president's agenda for personal retribution should not come before what's best for us.

ai AI Insights
Arow Summary
President Trump is threatening to block the opening of the nearly completed Gordie Howe Bridge between the U.S. and Canada, a major trade route set to open soon. He argues the bridge didn’t use American steel and claims the U.S. won’t receive toll revenue, demanding compensation and “fairness and respect” from Canada before allowing it to open. Canada funded the roughly $5B project and planned to recoup costs via tolls over decades. Michigan Democrats, including the governor and Sen. Alyssa Slotkin, criticize the move as personal retribution that could harm regional interests and trade.
Arow Title
Trump Threatens to Halt Opening of Gordie Howe Bridge
Arow Keywords
Gordie Howe Bridge Remove
U.S.-Canada relations Remove
Donald Trump Remove
Truth Social Remove
trade route Remove
tolls Remove
American steel Remove
Michigan Remove
Alyssa Slotkin Remove
bridge opening Remove
Arow Key Takeaways
  • Trump threatens to stop the Gordie Howe Bridge from opening despite it being nearly complete.
  • He cites lack of American steel and absence of U.S. toll revenue, demanding compensation and better treatment from Canada.
  • Canada paid about $5B for the bridge and expected to recover costs through tolls over a long period.
  • Michigan Democratic leaders argue the bridge will open and criticize the threat as politically motivated and harmful to regional interests.
Arow Sentiments
Negative: The tone is conflict-driven and critical, highlighting threatened disruption to trade infrastructure, deteriorating bilateral relations, and outrage from Michigan Democrats.
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