He Wants to Hold Our Bridge Hostage Now...

When a U.S. president threatens to block a Canadian-paid crossing unless we “compensate” him, that’s not trade policy... that’s extortion

There’s tough negotiating…

…and then there’s shaking down your neighbour for lunch money.

Guess which one this is.

Over the weekend, the President of the United States…, Donald Trump… went on Truth Social and threatened to block the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.

You know…
the bridge Canada paid for.

His demand?

“Compensation.”
Maybe ownership.
Maybe half the asset.
Maybe whatever number pops into his head at 2:17 a.m.

That’s not diplomacy.

That’s a guy leaning over the table saying,
“Nice infrastructure you got there.

Shame if something happened to it.”

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Let’s strip this down to facts

The bridge connects Windsor and Detroit.

It’s basically finished.
Opening soon.

And it isn’t symbolic fluff.

Over $100 BILLION in goods move through that corridor every year…

• auto parts

• manufacturing

• agriculture

• freight

It’s one of the busiest trade arteries on the continent.

Block it and you don’t “punish Canada.”

You punch the entire North American supply chain in the throat.

Including Michigan.
Including U.S. union jobs.
Including American factories.

It’s economic self-sabotage with a Sharpie.

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The part that really matters

This isn’t about dairy.
Or liquor on shelves.
Or steel content.

Those are excuses.

This is leverage politics.

He’s tying infrastructure to trade.
Trade to ownership.
Ownership to sovereignty.

“Give us a piece of your bridge or it doesn’t open.”

That’s not how allies talk.

That’s how mob bosses talk.

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The hypocrisy is almost funny

Back in 2017, Trump stood beside Justin Trudeau and praised the bridge as a critical link.

Now?

Suddenly it’s unfair.

Same movie. New scene.

Sign deal → take credit → later claim betrayal → demand more.

He did it with NAFTA.

He replaced it with Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement and called it “the greatest deal ever.”

Now that deal is garbage too.

If every agreement expires whenever one guy wakes up grumpy…

Then what exactly is a treaty worth?

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Here’s the adult problem Canada faces

We’re supposed to renegotiate trade this year.

Negotiation requires one basic thing…

Stability.

If a signed deal means nothing…

If yesterday’s handshake becomes today’s hostage note…

There is no negotiation.

There’s only pressure.

Economic bullying dressed up as patriotism.

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And the quiet truth nobody says out loud

This bridge helps Americans just as much as us.

Probably more.

Faster freight.
Less congestion.
More jobs.

Blocking it hurts his own people.

Which tells you everything.

This isn’t strategy.

It’s impulse.

And you cannot build continental trade policy around impulse.

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My plain-English take

Canada built a bridge.

The U.S. president is threatening to chain the gate shut unless we pay tribute.

If that doesn’t set off alarm bells, nothing will.

Allies don’t confiscate each other’s infrastructure.

That’s something empires do.

And we’re not anyone’s colony.

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The Recap…

Canada paid for a bridge.
It’s almost open.
Now Trump says he might block it unless we “compensate” the U.S.

That’s not negotiation.
That’s a shakedown.

Full story’s live.

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The gut punch…

You don’t threaten friends. You threaten targets.

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Source:

Remarks based on public statements by Donald Trump regarding the Gordie Howe International Bridge and Canada–U.S. trade negotiations.

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Canada Strong Movement… House Rule & Disclosure

Canada Strong exists to defend Canadian sovereignty, democratic norms, and economic independence… without imported talking points or borrowed outrage.

House rule… Facts and good-faith discussion are welcome. I use AI tools to help turn my spoken drafts into clear writing. I’m 73, my hands shake, and I type with two fingers… so I speak first, then edit.

The ideas, positions, and final message are mine.

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Note: I use AI tools to help clean up drafts and create images. The ideas and opinions are mine.

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