Trump threatens to block $6.4 billion bridge project, throwing Michigan into uncertainty

DETROIT — Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a $6.4 billion CAD project connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, until Canada provides full compensation and treats the U.S. with "Fairness and Respect."

The bridge, which has been under construction for more than 2,000 days, is nearing completion. Trump issued the threat in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The stance marks a sharp reversal for Trump, who previously supported the project. In 2017, he praised the bridge as a "vital economic link," and in 2019, he signed a spending bill that allocated $15 million for U.S. inspection systems at the crossing.

The move has sparked a divided reaction in Michigan. Democratic senators from the state warned that delaying the opening would harm local businesses and workers.

However, top Michigan Republicans supported the move, framing it as necessary leverage in trade negotiations with Canada. GOP leaders specifically cited concerns regarding Chinese-made electric vehicles as a key point of contention.

President Donald Trump’s sudden reversal on the Gordie Howe International Bridge serves as a definitive case study in his transactional and often volatile approach to diplomacy, which continues to keep even close allies like Canada off-balance. By thrusting a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project into the spotlight, Trump has effectively weaponized a critical economic artery in Michigan, a pivotal battleground state, just as the electoral cycle reaches a fever pitch.

This maneuver presents a calculated dilemma for local Republican lawmakers. They are now forced to navigate a narrow path between protecting Michigan’s industrial interests—most notably an automotive sector reliant on just-in-time cross-border supply chains—and maintaining political fealty to the party’s leader.

The rapid pivot by GOP legislators to link the bridge project to the threat of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) reveals a broader strategic architecture. The bridge is no longer being treated as a mere transit project; it has been transformed into a symbol of a widening trade war. By framing the crossing as a potential backdoor for Chinese state-subsidized EVs to enter the North American market, the administration is utilizing a physical trade bottleneck to exert geopolitical leverage.

Furthermore, reports of a meeting between a Trump administration official and the private owners of the competing Ambassador Bridge shortly before the announcement have raised questions regarding the influence of private interests on national policy. For stakeholders in the U.S.-Canada trade corridor—one of the most integrated supply chains in the world—this shift introduces significant institutional instability, replacing long-term infrastructure planning with the unpredictable whims of transactional politics.

The incident has no direct or distinct impact on the Vietnamese-American community, beyond the general economic repercussions felt by workers and business owners within Michigan’s automotive industry.