In a February 9 social media post, President Donald Trump threatened to delay the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Trump claimed Canada had been treating the U.S. unfairly for years and that the U.S. would not be getting any benefit from the bridge.
Drew Dilkens, mayor of Windsor, Ontario, told Michigan Public's Stateside on Wednesday that Trump's post was full of inaccuracies and said that President Trump doesn’t understand the current status of the bridge.
“Fundamentally, I was left with the impression that he really doesn't understand what's happening down here and the fact that the Gordie Howe Bridge is fully constructed. It is fully connected to the interstate systems on both sides of the border. All of the ports of entry are complete and the bridge is effectively ready to open,” he said.
Dilkens challenged Trump’s claims that the bridge was made without U.S steel. The Michigan half of the bridge was made with U.S. steel and other building materials, and 8,000 Americans were employed throughout the course of construction, according to Dilkens.
Canada financed the construction of the bridge and will be paid back through future toll revenue. Michigan and Canada will jointly own the bridge.
“He clearly was commenting without fact, which is not unusual for my observation,” Wilkens said. “And certainly, it's nonsensical.”
Dilkens also noted that, during Trump’s first term, he provided support for the bridge. Early into his first term, Trump and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a joint statement in support of the bridge. In 2019, Trump signed legislation into law providing $15 million in funding for inspection and screening systems at the bridge to help expedite its construction.
According to reporting from The New York Times, shortly before Trump’s social media post, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick held a meeting with billionaire Matthew Moroun in Washington. The Moroun family has operated the Ambassador Bridge, which also connects Detroit and Windsor, since 1979. Dilkens said he understood Moroun’s motivations, as the Gordie Howe International Bridge will be a direct competitor.
“If I put myself in Matthew's shoes and I see this government bridge going to open that's directly connected to the interstate system on both sides of the border, I'd probably say, ‘hey, I'm going to lose a lot of my business. What can I do to try and get a delay here to continue trucks and traffic using my bridge?’ And so, you know, the move that he's making is one that probably a lot of people would want to make if they own the same asset, and so I get it,” he said.
Dilkens said he thinks this will only cause a minor delay in the bridge’s opening. He doesn’t see many ways the President could stop the opening of the bridge, beyond withholding U.S. Customs and Border Protection resources at the U.S.-Canada border.
