The White House stepped deeper into a dispute over the Gordie Howe International Bridge on Feb. 10, saying President Donald Trump can amend a presidential permit tied to the project, prolonging the latest clash between the United States and Canada. The comments came hours after Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with Trump and expressed confidence the matter would be resolved.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president objects to the bridge’s ownership structure and also said it was unacceptable that more of the bridge was not built with more American-made materials. She said “the fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howe Bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president,” and called the materials issue unacceptable as well.
The White House’s position sharpened after Carney’s earlier remarks and after Trump had previously threatened to block the bridge from being opened. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, which would connect Ontario and Michigan, is scheduled to open in early 2026.
Carney said he told Trump that the Canadian and Michigan governments share ownership of the bridge, and he pointed to a joint-ownership arrangement between the two governments. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office also emphasized that the bridge will be operated under a joint ownership agreement between Michigan and Canada, even though the Canadian government paid for the project.
In a separate development, Carney said Trump indicated he would ask the U.S. ambassador to Canada, former Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, to “play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge.” Hoekstra did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the report.
The project has been underway since 2018 and was negotiated by former Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who wrote in an op-ed published in The Detroit News on Tuesday that Trump was wrong in asserting that Canada owns both sides of the bridge. Snyder wrote that “Canada and the state of Michigan are 50/50 owners of the new bridge,” and said Canada financed the entire bridge and would be repaid “with interest from the tolls,” while Michigan and the United States received their half-ownership “with no investment.”
Snyder also addressed “Buy America” requirements for the bridge’s steel, saying some parts of construction were exempt because half of the project was outside the U.S. and, as a result, he argued that U.S. law should not apply to those portions. He urged Trump to “challenge your advisers and the sources for your post to correct the information they have provided,” while acknowledging trade issues with Canada but writing that “picking this bridge as the leverage point doesn’t seem to make the most sense given your other tools.”
The bridge fight is unfolding against a backdrop of broader tensions between Washington and Ottawa over trade policy. The report said Trump has mused publicly about acquiring Canada as a U.S. state, and both countries are preparing to renegotiate a sprawling trade pact later this year.