The Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ont., in a drone image taken from Windsor, Ont., on Feb. 10, 2026. Dax Melmer/Reuters
President Donald Trump negotiated an “incredible deal” for the United States on the Gordie Howe Bridge, according to the White House.
The administration’s claim comes as Canada opened the bridge, named after the legendary hockey player, with little to no fanfare and without the United States.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Epoch Times on July 24 that Trump had “renegotiated an incredible deal for America on the Gordie Howe Bridge.”
The opening of the bridge occurred amid a disagreement over toll-sharing and fresh threats of 50 percent tariffs from Trump. Additionally, the United States has blamed Canada for the latest wildfires whose smoke reached the United States last week. Canada canceled the opening ceremony of the bridge, which will open to traffic on July 27.
The $4.7 billion bridge was paid for by Canada and was supposed to open in June after construction started in 2018. It seeks to be a quicker route than the existing Ambassador Bridge across the Detroit River.
Trump warned in February that he could stop the project, citing Canada’s provinces’ refusal to sell American-made alcohol, Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy, and Ottawa’s trade talks with China.
Earlier this month, Trump said he got “a much better deal” and noticeable revenues for the United States to permit the bridge’s opening.
The United States and Canada appear to disagree over how and when the bridge revenues will be split.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that once Canada is repaid, it will share toll revenues. But according to a draft agreement publicized on July 22, Canada and the United States will share 50 percent of the bridge’s net revenue during the bridge’s first 15 years of operation, without a specific provision requiring Canada to be repaid beforehand.
The agreement defines net revenue as “all revenues collected with respect to the bridge,” without the operating costs.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on July 22 that Carney’s depiction of the deal is “the opposite” of what the agreement actually said.
“Just profit sharing on a bridge 100 percent built with our tax dollars. The opposite of what you said. How do we trust anything else you say about dealing with the U.S.?” Poilievre said on X.
Carney said at a press conference on July 23 that a prior deal between Canada and Michigan is still in effect and that “there’s no splitting of tolls under that agreement until all of the debt is repaid.”
Reuters and Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.
