WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump threatened on Monday (Feb 9) to cease the opening of a brand new bridge between the US and Canada, in a contemporary salvo in opposition to the nation he has advised ought to change into the 51st US state.
Trump stated the US ought to personal “no less than half” of the nonetheless under-construction Gordie Howe Worldwide Bridge that hyperlinks the Canadian province of Ontario with the US state of Michigan.
Work on the US$4.7-billion bridge – named after the late Canadian-born Nationwide Hockey League nice Gordie Howe – began in 2018 and it is because of open later this yr.
“I can’t enable this bridge to open till the US is totally compensated for all the pieces we’ve got given them, and in addition, importantly, Canada treats the US with the Equity and Respect that we deserve,” Trump posted on Reality Social.
“We are going to begin negotiations, IMMEDIATELY.”
The 79-year-old Republican complained that Canada owned either side of the bridge and used “just about” no US merchandise to construct it.
“And now, on high of all the pieces else, Prime Minister (Mark) Carney desires to make a take care of China – which can eat Canada alive. We’ll simply get the leftovers! I do not suppose so,” Trump added.
Washington has threatened to slap 100 per cent tariffs on Canada after Carney visited Beijing final month and sealed a preliminary trade deal with China.
The US chief in the meantime repeated the outlandish declare that Beijing would “terminate ALL Ice Hockey being performed in Canada”.
Trump has clashed with Canada over commerce since returning to workplace in January 2025. He beforehand referred to as for the US to annex Canada however has largely dropped that declare in latest months.
Carney in the meantime warned at the Davos forum last month that the US-led world system of governance is enduring “a rupture”, in a thinly veiled reference to Trump’s disruption, and argued for mid-level powers to group collectively.
