Trump Says U.S. Now Gets 50% of Gordie Howe Bridge Profit After Canada Snub

Trump renegotiates the Detroit-Windsor bridge deal to claim half the profit after Canada cancels a joint opening ceremony amid an escalating tariff dispute.

First Published: July 25, 2026, 3:52 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump said the United States now claims half the profit from the Gordie Howe International Bridge after Canada canceled a joint opening ceremony amid an escalating tariff fight.

The bridge connects Detroit, Michigan, to Windsor, Ontario, and has become a symbol of strained ties between the two neighbors according to time.com. Canadian officials scrapped the planned ribbon-cutting after Trump signed proclamations imposing additional 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods according to time.com.

“in light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” said Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, in a statement to time.com.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States, but the original Deal on the Bridge, which was terribly negotiated by a previous Administration, no longer stands. We changed the terms of the Deal so that the United States of America now gets 50% of the Profit. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on July 24, 2026 at 12:40 PM ET.

This is one message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces about 15 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 9 of his 450 posts over the last 30 days focused on tariffs.

The dispute carries real stakes for cross-border commerce. The bridge sits on the busiest trade corridor between the two countries, and any friction over tolls or access threatens the flow of goods. That trade supports auto plants and suppliers on both sides. American negotiators would gain a share of net revenues, while Canada, which financed construction, would see its return diluted if it is not repaid first.

Canada paid for the construction of the bridge, over $4 billion, with ownership shared between the state of Michigan and the government of Canada according to time.com. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick announced a deal under which the U.S. gets 50% of net revenues until 2041 and a say in setting the tolls according to time.com. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said a previous deal between Canada and Michigan remains in place, and that no splitting of tolls occurs until all of the debt is repaid according to time.com.

For the average American driver and shopper, the outcome shapes prices and wait times at one of the continent’s key freight gateways. Higher tariffs and disputed tolls can raise costs on cars, parts, and everyday goods that cross the Detroit-Windsor line.

This has happened before. Trump threatened to block the bridge’s opening in February unless the U.S. was “compensated,” claiming Canada would own both sides and that the project used “virtually no U.S. content” according to time.com. Carney pushed back at the time, arguing both Canadian and U.S. steel had been used according to time.com.

Carney told reporters he had spoken with Trump and agreed to “intensify” negotiations toward a trade agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico according to time.com. The new 50% tariffs are set to take effect on Aug. 19, 2026, according to time.com, and the next decision rests with Canadian leaders weighing their response.

Cross-border bridge fights have flared before at this crossing. The Ambassador Bridge opened in 1929 as the longest suspension span in the world at the time. It carried a large share of U.S.-Canada trade for decades and became the target of a 2013 legal battle when its private owner sought to block the Gordie Howe project. Courts and regulators ultimately cleared the new public bridge to proceed, leaving the incumbent operator to watch a rival span rise beside it.