President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will connect Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, if Canada doesn't agree to renegotiate trade aspects with the United States, including tariffs and the exclusion of U.S. products from the Canadian market.
In an extensive post on the social network Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of U.S. trade policies and of moving forward with the construction of the bridge with "virtually no U.S. content."
The president stated that he will not allow the inauguration of the infrastructure until Washington is "fully compensated" and Canada treats the United States with "fairness and respect."
The bridge, which is currently under construction, is considered a strategic project for bilateral trade and bears the name of legendary hockey player Gordie Howe, who excelled with the Detroit Red Wings.
However, Trump argued that the project benefited from a waiver granted during the administration of former Democratic president Barack Obama that allowed Canada to circumvent provisions of the Buy American Act, legislation that requires federal agencies to prioritize materials manufactured in the United States and with components that are mostly U.S.-made.
According to the president, that decision allowed the project to move forward without significant participation of steel and other inputs produced in the United States, which harmed U.S. workers and companies. "What the United States gets is absolutely nothing," he wrote.
