Trump Threatens to Shut Down Gordie Howe Bridge Over 'Bad Deal'

Wall Street Journal editorial board slams president's 'crony bridgegate' as 'shoddy treatment of an ally'

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, after it opens later this year. Trump accused Canada of giving the U.S. a bad deal and demanded that the two countries negotiate a deal where the U.S. becomes a partial owner of the Canadian-financed and built project. The Wall Street Journal editorial board harshly criticized Trump's actions, calling it an 'illustration of the Administration's governance by cronyism' and warned that the fallout could be a 'political gift' to Democrats.

Why it matters

The Gordie Howe Bridge is a major infrastructure project that has been in development for years, and Trump's last-minute demands to renegotiate the deal could jeopardize its completion and damage relations between the U.S. and Canada. The editorial board's rebuke also highlights the growing criticism of Trump's tendency to make decisions based on personal interests rather than the national interest.

The details

Trump threatened to shut down the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a project that will connect Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, after it opens later this year. The president accused Canada of giving the U.S. a bad deal and demanded that the two countries negotiate a deal where the U.S. becomes a partial owner of the Canadian-financed and built project. The Wall Street Journal editorial board criticized Trump's actions, calling it an 'illustration of the Administration's governance by cronyism' and warned that the fallout could be a 'political gift' to Democrats.

  • The Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open later this year.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States who threatened to shut down the Gordie Howe International Bridge project.

Wall Street Journal editorial board

The editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal newspaper that issued a scathing rebuke of Trump's actions.

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What they’re saying

“The intervention is another illustration of the Administration's governance by cronyism. All sorts of people are trying to reach Mr. Trump with special pleading, maybe even to present him with some gold-plated award that they invented yesterday. The bet is that, in return for their investment, they might soon have a pardon, or a tariff exemption, or even the President mucking up U.S. national interests to advance their agenda.”

— Wall Street Journal editorial board (Wall Street Journal)

“If Democrats retake the House this fall, the Trump Administration will spend its final two years working in the shade, because it'll be hard to see the sun through flying subpoenas.”

— Wall Street Journal editorial board (Wall Street Journal)

What’s next

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open later this year, and it remains to be seen whether Trump will follow through on his threat to shut down the project.

The takeaway

Trump's latest attempt to leverage his political power for personal gain has drawn sharp criticism, even from conservative outlets like the Wall Street Journal. This incident highlights the growing concerns about the president's tendency to make decisions based on cronyism rather than the national interest, which could have serious consequences for the country's relationships with its allies and its infrastructure projects.