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Looks like it’s time to put that relationship to work again.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has taken a lot of heat for putting a lot of work into her relationship with the pugnacious Republican President Donald Trump. In return, she’s gotten a fighter mission stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, federal emergency assistance following weather disasters and support for a barrier to slow the progress of invasive carp toward the Great Lakes.
And now “that woman from Michigan” may be back to cozying up to Trump to get the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge “back on track.”
A statement this week from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said the ribbon-cutting was canceled to allow time for unspecified issues between the U.S. and Canada to be resolved.
"Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues,” said WDBA’s interim CEO Chuck Andary. “We appreciate the efforts of workers on both sides of the border to get the bridge to its current state of readiness.”
Whitmer said she was not entirely surprised to learn the bridge opening would be delayed – but said “I’m hopeful we can get it back on track” soon.
“Michigan is ready to move forward and we’re hoping that we can do that in the next few days or weeks,” she said at a stop in Dearborn to cut a ceremonial ribbon on a different highway bridge.
Back in February, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was dissatisfied with the deal and made multiple demands, including that Canada turn over half ownership of the bridge to the U.S.
“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,” he posted.
The more than $4 billion project has been under construction since 2018. As part of the deal, Canada agreed to fund the project on the front end and be reimbursed from a share of the tolls. The bridge is jointly owned by Michigan and Canada.
Whitmer excoriated Trump early in her first term over the federal COVID response and called him “deranged” over comments on women and abortion. That was before Trump’s subsequent return to the White House last year. (In a turnaround from four years earlier, Michigan helped put him over the top in the presidential 2024 election.)
Since then, Whitmer has cultivated a cordial working relationship with Trump even while opposing him on tariffs and other policies. Whitmer did not say when she and Trump last spoke about the project or talk about any plans to reach out to the White House.
Former Governor Rick Snyder is a Republican who was the big wheel getting the Gordie Howe rolling a decade ago. He posted on social media that he is optimistic that “sooner or later” the bridge will be open to traffic and serve as a vital economic link between Michigan and Canada.
“The new bridge will stand for 125+ years so we should not let the current situation take away from what will be a brighter future due to the new crossing,” he posted.
But it’s doubtful Snyder can help restart the bridge-opening clock. In 2020, Snyder crossed over to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden to unseat Trump.
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Have questions about Michigan politics? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
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What we’re talking about at the dinner table
Slotkin’s ambitions: While Whitmer said “never say never” to a White House bid last month, Michigan U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin says don’t count her out either. The first-term Democrat told the Detroit Economic Club this week that it is time for a new generation of leadership and a swing-state Democrat from the industrial Midwest just might fit the presidential ticket. Slotkin has been building a national profile since her election to the Senate in 2024, including national media appearances and fundraising swings that include early primary states.
Budget news: Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall said this week that he would be fine with adopting a stop-gap budget to get the state through the end of the calendar year and then start negotiations anew with the winner of the November gubernatorial election (a Republican, he hopes). That is a non-starter with the Senate Democratic leadership, who say they remain committed to meeting the July 1 deadline. It’s a non-starter for K-12 schools, local governments, community colleges with fiscal years that begin July 1, as well.
Reading rules: Michigan House Republicans say they were just following Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s playbook when they voted this week to accelerate new reading curricula standards for schools. Democrats say that would put schools in an impossible situation this close to the start of the academic year and this appears to be more about politics than academics. Whitmer, who has made getting a start on improving Michigan’s dismal student reading scores a priority in her final year in office, has not publicly weighed in on the legislation.
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
