Howe Dumb

Trump threatens the Gordie Howe International Bridge, dumping on Canada (and Michigan) again.

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THE GORDIE HOWE International Bridge between Detroit and Canada — named after a beloved hockey legend and connecting Detroiters to their southern neighbors (yes, Detroit is north of Windsor, Ontario) — is the result of a great bargain for the United States: Canada paid the full $5.7 billion construction cost for the bridge, which is jointly owned by Canada and the United States, with Ottawa recouping its upfront construction costs over time, through bridge tolls.

Now President Trump is threatening to blow up the deal.

Detroit Free Press

“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 U.S. with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump posted on social Monday. “With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.”

Nonesense. Where do I start?

First, like I said, the U.S. already owns half of the bridge, which is scheduled to open this spring after six years of construction.

Second, Canada already gave the United States $5.7 billion for a vital artery to one of our largest trading partners, an alternative to the privately owned and aging Ambassador Bridge located a couple miles northeast of the new span on the Detroit River.

Third, this is Trump’s petulant retribution for Canada cutting an EV deal with China. “We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so,” Trump whined. He doesn’t take responsibility for driving Canada into China’s arms with his reckless tariffs.

The only good news: Trump may drive Michigan back into the arms of Democrats.

I live in Detroit and can tell you that residents on both sides of the river welcome the new bridge. We’re tired of the president pitting our nations against each other. This bridge brouhaha is more than another distraction from the Epstein files and Trump’s fading poll numbers; it’s a middle-finger “fuck you” to Michigan like the one he recently gave to an assembly line worker in Dearborn, Mich.

None of this will go over well in Michigan. From today’s Detroit News:

One way Trump could prevent the bridge from operating is to block staffing of the customs plaza on the Michigan side, which the U.S. government agreed to staff years ago.

Both Michigan senators a year ago pressed Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her confirmation hearing in the Senate for assurances on staffing customs and inspections at the new bridge. Noem committed to staffing the plaza on the northern border.

“With the bridge as well, and staffing up on that ... I’ve assured Senator (Elissa) Slotkin as well that our focus is there to make sure that it is staffed appropriately,” Noem told Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township.

Trump may make a liar out of Noem. Again. (Google: “ICE” and “Noem”)

From the Detroit Free Press:

Under an agreement pushed by former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Canada agreed to pay the full upfront cost of the bridge and recover costs later.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Trump’s threat is “awful for our state’s economy.”

“Canceling this project will have serious repercussions,” Slotkin said in an emailed statement. “Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs. With this threat, the President is punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started. The only reason Canada is on the verge of a trade deal with China is because President Trump has kicked them in the teeth for a year.”

The Gordie Howe spans the Detroit River, connecting southwest Detroit to northwest Windsor, the Detroit News explains. At 150 feet above the Detroit River and 720 feet high, the bridge will be the largest Canadian and U.S. land port along the border. An estimated 6,000 people are expected to commute to Detroit from Ontario each day by the bridge.

Born in Canada, Gordie Howe played for the Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1971, retiring as the National Hockey League’s all-time scorer. “Mr. Hockey” is revered in Michigan both for his fierceness on the ice and gentleness off it. Trump’s post is an insult to Howe’s memory.