President Donald Trump still has Canada on his mind.
The 79-year-old posted a lengthy rant to Truth Social about a new bridge between the U.S. and its northern neighbor, demanding that the Canadian government negotiate with him and threatening to prevent the bridge from opening until it does.
“As everyone knows, the Country of Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades,” Trump began his almost 300-word rant, before going on to describe the circumstances around the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, which was paid for entirely by the Canadian government but will be jointly owned by Canada and Michigan.
“Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content,” he continued, before complaining about “President Barack Hussein Obama” who “stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!‘”
Trump went on to complain about Canadian tariffs on dairy products, Ontario’s ban on U.S. alcohol, and Canada’s new trade agreement with China, which he once again suggested would allow China to “terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” he argued, adding that “with all that we have given them,” the U.S. is owed at least one half of the bridge.
The Daily Beast has contacted Prime Minister Carney’s office for comment.
A spokesperson for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told Reuters, “This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation. It’s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting.”
The bridge, on which construction began in June 2018, is the third border crossing between Detroit and Windsor alongside the Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.
The owners of the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit’s Moroun family, had previously appealed to Trump to prevent the construction of the bridge during his first term, arguing that it infringed on their exclusive right to collect tolls.
Trump, however, endorsed the bridge as a priority project in 2017, joining then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in calling it a “vital economic link between our two countries.”
The bridge is expected to open in the next few months.
The president’s post comes after almost a year of disagreements with the Canadian government, stemming from harsh U.S. tariffs that later escalated into threats from Trump to annex the country and turn it into the 51st state.
In addition, senior Trump administration officials were exposed for meeting with far-right Alberta separatists seeking support for a referendum on the issue of independence from Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to Trump’s aggression in a pointed speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, warning world leaders in attendance of a “rupture” in the world order and arguing that “middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Trump’s response was to once again threaten Canada in his own speech days later, warning Carney that, “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, next time you make your statements.”
Drew Dilkens, the mayor of Windsor, Ontario, told CBC News that Trump’s threats were “just insane,” adding, “when I read that post I can’t believe what I’m reading, but it’s par for the course.”
“[This] is just another speed bump that Donald Trump has put in the way of doing good things, not just for our country but for his as well.”
