The Gordie Howe Bridge has been the source of some international tension ahead of its recent opening, which drew some ire of its own from the White House this week.
Canadian officials held a ceremony marking the opening of the passageway with the U.S., but reportedly left its neighbors to the south out of the event.
As The Hill reported, President Donald Trump soon responded online:
“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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
ADVERTISEMENTTrump said the original agreement governing the bridge “no longer stands,” arguing it had been “terribly negotiated” by a previous administration.
“We changed the terms of the Deal so that the United States of America now gets 50% of the Profit,” he added.
Canada held the ceremony on Friday to mark the completion of a $4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is scheduled to open to passenger and commercial traffic on Monday.
The latest development in the bridge saga fueled another wave of social media commentary:
Very shameful diss by Canada. On the bridge opening the Border Custom's should stop any traffic coming in, and the US side hold our own ceremony, and then let traffic through once it's done.
— Reformed Sinner (@reformedsinner) July 24, 2026
The bridge crosses into US territory, thus users are charged to enter the United States. The US has every right to a 50% cut of that fee.
— Dale Winsley (@Winsleydale) July 24, 2026
Others took note of the leftist ceremony itself:
The bridge crosses into US territory, thus users are charged to enter the United States. The US has every right to a 50% cut of that fee.
— Dale Winsley (@Winsleydale) July 24, 2026
The BBC added these details:
Canadian and American dignitaries planned to come together for the inauguration of the C$6.4bn ($4.5bn; £3.4bn) Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting the automotive hubs of each nation.
ADVERTISEMENTInstead, Canadians hosted their own event solo on Friday, having disinvited their US counterparts in the wake of Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat on their country.
“Given the recent tariff action from the US, we felt that we should focus today on celebrating here in Canada,” said infrastructure minister Gregor Robertson at Friday’s event, which featured plenty of Canadian flags and a children’s game of street hockey.
Here’s a clip of the ceremony:
The Gordie Howe Bridge Opened Today connecting Detroit and Canada.
They celebrated with members of the “Turtle clan” singing a song in honor of their ancestors.
This is how it’s going: pic.twitter.com/V0bDxe7iu7
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 24, 2026
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