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Trump blocked Gordie Howe Bridge opening, benefiting Moroun family donors who gave $1 million to Trump super PAC

President Trump refused to allow the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a completed Detroit-Windsor crossing built jointly by Canada and Michigan — to open, causing cancellation of a scheduled June 11, 2026 grand opening at the last minute. The Moroun family, which owns the competing Ambassador Bridge and donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC, stands to benefit from the new bridge remaining closed. Canadian officials, including Windsor's mayor, publicly named the Moroun family's financial ties to Trump as the likely driver of his opposition.

Jurisdiction
federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On June 11, 2026, a scheduled grand opening for the Gordie Howe International Bridge — a completed crossing linking Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario — was canceled at the last minute after President Trump continued to withhold U.S. approval. Trump had earlier intervened via a Truth Social post demanding that Canada cede co-ownership of the bridge to the United States, a condition not in the original bilateral agreement.

The Gordie Howe bridge was built under a joint agreement between the Canadian government and the state of Michigan; Canada agreed to front the construction cost — begun in 2018 — and to split toll revenue with Michigan until costs were recouped. The bridge spans North America's busiest land border crossing, handling billions of dollars in annual trade. The Moroun family, which owns the competing Ambassador Bridge (the only other Detroit-Windsor crossing), donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC and millions more to Republican causes in recent years. Canadian politicians, including Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, publicly identified this financial relationship as the likely driver of Trump's opposition to the new bridge's opening.

Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, told NPR he was already on his way to the grand opening when he received word it had been canceled. Canadian officials said they were given no advance warning.

Why we recorded this

Public integrity rules require that officials act in the public interest, not to benefit campaign donors. The Moroun family — owners of the only other Detroit-Windsor border crossing — donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC, and Trump then blocked a completed rival bridge from opening, preserving the Morouns' monopoly on the crossing. This archive records when documented financial relationships between donors and government decisions produce outcomes that benefit the donor at the public's expense.

Sources

  1. A bridge to Canada may be blocked by the Trump administration — NPR primary accessed June 28, 2026
  2. Gordie Howe International Bridge opening delayed again — WDET secondary accessed June 28, 2026
  3. Windsor mayor surprised by Trump bridge threat, points finger at Morouns — WDET secondary accessed June 28, 2026

See also