Two things: I believe some Canadian steel was used in the construction of the bridge. Secondly, the Ambassador Bridge is owned by some influential billionaire donor of Trump's, I believe. He is making a fortune off of the bridge. Apparently he had a meeting/conversation with Trump prior to Trump's snit fit. One can only imagine he asked Trump to help keep his money pit flowing somehow.
Here’s a clean, steady reply that keeps it factual without drifting into tinfoil-hat territory... but still gives that little GeezerWise eyebrow raise 😏
Ron... you’re on the right track with both points.
Yes, Canadian steel and Canadian workers were heavily involved.
This wasn’t some foreign handout project... it’s largely our build, our money, our jobs.
And you’re also right about the old Ambassador Bridge.
It’s privately owned and has been a cash machine for decades.
So when the new public Gordie Howe International Bridge shows up with modern lanes, lower congestion, and public oversight…
that’s competition.
Serious competition.
Now… I don’t pretend to know what gets said in backroom chats with Donald Trump…
…but I’ve been around long enough to notice a pattern:
When billionaires feel threatened, politicians suddenly start making “patriotic” speeches that just happen to protect private profits.
Funny how that works.
Either way, the new bridge isn’t about politics... it’s about trade, jobs, and not letting one private toll booth control half our economy.
Appreciate you connecting those dots. Most folks miss that piece.
For all the psychotic moves Trump has made this time around this one felt the most like his regular stupid self from 2016 where the whole thing about him complaining USA is getting a bad deal or what not really translates to “Who’s Gordie Howe? It should be named the Donald J Trump Bridge!”
Rick... I get the frustration behind “hopefully he’ll fail,” but let’s pull the lens back a little.
If we’re talking about the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, this isn’t a greedy billionaire vs. the little guy.
This is about building infrastructure that...
• reduces congestion,
• increases trade capacity at one of North America’s busiest crossings,
• and spreads economic benefit across both sides of the border.
People can debate how it should be done... timelines, costs, governance... that’s reasonable.
But wishing for failure doesn’t solve a problem.
If you think there’s a better design, better financing, better oversight... say that.
Detail it.
I’m happy to read that Substack piece you linked... thanks for sharing... but someone being a critic doesn’t automatically make them a defender of stagnation.
Mark Carney is actually the most brilliant person on the planet when it comes to dealing with Cheeto. He really is. He does what he has to do quietly with little fanfare and just doesn’t even acknowledge the lunatic south of the border. It’s the perfect strategy that I wish every leader would implement.
I've got an old Meccano set. How about I build a replica of the Gordie Howe bridge, spray-paint it gold and send it to him (collect)? I can include a bottle of douche so Melanie can inaugurate it.
Trump is a really big idiot, isnt he? I feel sorry for the " normal adults" they are pushed asaid by sheer stupidity. Is there no person in the whole Trump orbit that is a educated person? I think not only inbred ork and child molester.
Trump just showed corporations the risks to building factories in the US.
Exactly.
That’s the quiet takeaway nobody’s talking about.
When Donald Trump starts threatening bridges, trade deals, or projects that were already negotiated…
He’s not just posturing at governments.
He’s spooking investors.
Because if you’re a company thinking about building a billion-dollar factory in the United States, you’re suddenly asking...
“Wait… can the rules change by tweet?”
Businesses hate uncertainty more than taxes.
They can plan for costs.
They can’t plan for chaos.
So every time he pulls one of these stunts, it quietly tells corporations...
Maybe build somewhere boring and stable instead.
Which is exactly how places like Canada end up looking more attractive.
Funny thing is… the tough-guy talk meant to “protect America” can actually push investment away.
Not exactly 4D chess. 😄
Two things: I believe some Canadian steel was used in the construction of the bridge. Secondly, the Ambassador Bridge is owned by some influential billionaire donor of Trump's, I believe. He is making a fortune off of the bridge. Apparently he had a meeting/conversation with Trump prior to Trump's snit fit. One can only imagine he asked Trump to help keep his money pit flowing somehow.
Here’s a clean, steady reply that keeps it factual without drifting into tinfoil-hat territory... but still gives that little GeezerWise eyebrow raise 😏
Ron... you’re on the right track with both points.
Yes, Canadian steel and Canadian workers were heavily involved.
This wasn’t some foreign handout project... it’s largely our build, our money, our jobs.
And you’re also right about the old Ambassador Bridge.
It’s privately owned and has been a cash machine for decades.
So when the new public Gordie Howe International Bridge shows up with modern lanes, lower congestion, and public oversight…
that’s competition.
Serious competition.
Now… I don’t pretend to know what gets said in backroom chats with Donald Trump…
…but I’ve been around long enough to notice a pattern:
When billionaires feel threatened, politicians suddenly start making “patriotic” speeches that just happen to protect private profits.
Funny how that works.
Either way, the new bridge isn’t about politics... it’s about trade, jobs, and not letting one private toll booth control half our economy.
Appreciate you connecting those dots. Most folks miss that piece.
No…they used american steel and union workers as well as Canadian.
That's what I said "some Canadian steel"
For all the psychotic moves Trump has made this time around this one felt the most like his regular stupid self from 2016 where the whole thing about him complaining USA is getting a bad deal or what not really translates to “Who’s Gordie Howe? It should be named the Donald J Trump Bridge!”
😂 You might’ve just decoded it Kyle.
Half the time it’s not strategy… it’s ego.
With Donald Trump, “bad deal for America” often translates to...
“Why isn’t my name on it?”
It’s less geopolitics… more branding.
Like the world’s one big condo project.
Meanwhile the Gordie Howe International Bridge is literally named after a hockey legend both countries respect.
A symbol of cooperation.
Normal people see that and think, “Nice tribute.”
He probably sees it and thinks,
“Missed marketing opportunity.” 😄
That’s why so many of these moves feel childish instead of calculated.
It’s not chess.
It’s vanity.
And vanity is a terrible trade policy.
I read somewhere else that the owners of the other bridge want the new one stopped...it competes with their monopoly...
Graeme... that part actually makes a lot of sense when you look at it strictly as business.
The Ambassador Bridge has basically been a private toll booth printing money for decades.
One bridge.
Huge truck traffic.
No real competition.
That’s not just a crossing... that’s a monopoly.
Now along comes the publicly owned Gordie Howe International Bridge with modern capacity and another route for trade?
Of course the old owners don’t like it.
If you’ve been collecting tolls like an ATM for 40 years, competition feels like a pay cut.
You don’t even need a conspiracy to explain it... it’s just incentives.
Follow the money and the behaviour suddenly makes perfect sense.
Funny how “national interest” speeches often line up perfectly with somebody’s private revenue stream.
Hopefully, he’ll fail.
https://musingsofanobody.substack.com/p/a-bridge-too-far-not-by-a-long-shot
Rick... I get the frustration behind “hopefully he’ll fail,” but let’s pull the lens back a little.
If we’re talking about the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, this isn’t a greedy billionaire vs. the little guy.
This is about building infrastructure that...
• reduces congestion,
• increases trade capacity at one of North America’s busiest crossings,
• and spreads economic benefit across both sides of the border.
People can debate how it should be done... timelines, costs, governance... that’s reasonable.
But wishing for failure doesn’t solve a problem.
If you think there’s a better design, better financing, better oversight... say that.
Detail it.
I’m happy to read that Substack piece you linked... thanks for sharing... but someone being a critic doesn’t automatically make them a defender of stagnation.
Let’s argue solutions, not just “hope fails.”
Maybe I wasn’t clear. I want the bridge to be there. I want the effort to stop it to fail.
Mark Carney is actually the most brilliant person on the planet when it comes to dealing with Cheeto. He really is. He does what he has to do quietly with little fanfare and just doesn’t even acknowledge the lunatic south of the border. It’s the perfect strategy that I wish every leader would implement.
There’s definitely something to be said for calm competence over noise.
Carney comes from central banking, where credibility is everything and drama is poison.
People in those roles learn quickly that markets reward stability, not theatrics.
What we’re watching right now isn’t just politics... it’s two very different leadership styles colliding.
One loud, one quiet.
History usually remembers the results more than the volume.
This is about CANADA'S new bridge at the border of Michigan and Ontario. There is false information going around.
CANADA owns it 100%. Canada paid for it 100%.
Some construction was done at the US border by Americans.
Once Canada is paid in full, America will be able to collect a portion of the tolls.
Period.
Canada stepping up to fund a major border crossing tells you how important that corridor is economically.
Infrastructure decisions like this usually show where the future growth is expected.
It’s not “confusion” it’s incompetence.
Secret meetings? Big donations? I’m sure it’s all just a coincidence.
https://musingsofanobody.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-doing-business
I've got an old Meccano set. How about I build a replica of the Gordie Howe bridge, spray-paint it gold and send it to him (collect)? I can include a bottle of douche so Melanie can inaugurate it.
Wonder what Lutnick told Trump after meeting with Moroun who owns Ambassador bridge
P.s.Remove one letter from the Moroun family name
Shelagh… I was thinking the same thing 😄
Imagine your job description...
“Run a G7 economy…
manage trade…
keep markets calm…
and once a week explain basic facts to Donald Trump like you’re talking to a guy who didn’t read the manual.”
That’s got to be exhausting.
Half of diplomacy these days probably isn’t negotiation…
it’s just saying...
“No… that’s not how it works…
No… you don’t own that…
Yes… we already paid for it…”
Over and over.
Poor Mark Carney probably deserves a medal... or at least stronger coffee.
It must be exhausting for Mark Carney to have to call Trump and explain how things work all the time.
Shelagh… I was thinking the same thing 😄
Imagine your job description...
“Run a G7 economy…
manage trade…
keep markets calm…
and once a week explain basic facts to Donald Trump like you’re talking to a guy who didn’t read the manual.”
That’s got to be exhausting.
Half of diplomacy these days probably isn’t negotiation…
it’s just saying...
“No… that’s not how it works…
No… you don’t own that…
Yes… we already paid for it…”
Over and over.
Poor Mark Carney probably deserves a medal... or at least stronger coffee.
Because idiot doesn't have a clue. Brain dead SOB
I still can't stop laughing at the thought of ANY country preventing Canadians from playing hockey. All hockey.
Desdemona 😄
Right?
That’s the part that cracks me up too.
The idea that some politician could “punish” Canada by stopping hockey is like saying...
“Effective immediately, Italians are banned from pasta.”
Good luck with that.
You’re not blocking a sport... you’re trying to block oxygen.
Kids play on frozen ponds.
Grandpas play at 6 a.m.
Half the country owns skates before they own a suit.
It’s not policy… it’s culture.
You’d have better luck outlawing winter.
Fred
In order to get rid of hockey, you'd have to get rid of ICE.... hmm 🤔
Thanks for all of your articles, I enjoy reading your views.
Like that's going to happen. Not. It's in our blood. Lol
Trump is a really big idiot, isnt he? I feel sorry for the " normal adults" they are pushed asaid by sheer stupidity. Is there no person in the whole Trump orbit that is a educated person? I think not only inbred ork and child molester.
Jacob... I get the frustration. A lot of people feel it.
But I try not to go down the “name-calling” road.
Once we start tossing labels around, we sound just like the folks we’re criticizing.
Here’s how I look at it...
It’s not about whether Donald Trump is an idiot or not.
It’s about competence.
Policy.
Decisions.
Consequences.
You don’t need insults when the results speak for themselves.
When experienced public servants, economists, and diplomats keep getting ignored or pushed aside… that’s the real problem.
Adults leave the room, chaos walks in.
And honestly? That’s scarier than any nickname.
Trump has never been big on research before speaking
JD29... yeah… “research” has never really been his first stop.
It’s more like...
Step 1: Feel something
Step 2: Say it out loud
Step 3: Let everyone else clean up the mess
Most leaders read the briefing binder.
Donald Trump seems to skim the headline… maybe.
And that’s how you end up threatening projects you already co-own or arguing with facts that were settled ten years ago.
Turns out governing by gut feeling works great for reality TV…
Not so much for international trade and billion-dollar infrastructure.