2 top Michigan Republicans defend Trump's Gordie Howe Bridge threats

LANSING, Mich. — Two top Michigan Republicans defended President Donald Trump's threats to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, arguing it was appropriate leverage in negotiating a deal with the Canada.

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, and U.S. Rep. John James, a frontrunner in the Michigan GOP gubernatorial primary, said the threat was necessary to ensure Canada does not cut a trade deal with China.

"The U.S. holds a lot of the cards here," Hall told The Detroit News on Tuesday. "And so I think they (Canada) should treat us more fairly, we should have better reciprocal trade deals with them, and I think it's really out of bounds that they were even entertaining making this deal with China."

The comments come a day after Trump threatened on social media to prevent the new Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor from opening until Canada treats the United States with, what he described as, "fairness and respect."

The $4.7 billion Canadian-financed project, spanning the Detroit River between Detroit and northwest Windsor, Ontario, has been under construction since 2018 and is nearing completion, with the opening expected sometime this year. It will be jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan, with Canada providing financing for the project, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. Canada is expected to recoup its costs through tolls.

The publicly owned span will compete with the privately owned Ambassador Bridge for tolls from commercial trucks. Under a 2012 deal that then-Gov. Rick Snyder struck with Canadian leaders, Michigan will jointly own the bridge with Canada, which financed its construction and is to be paid back through toll revenues.

Trump's threats were roundly condemned Monday by Michigan Democrats, who argued that stopping the bridge from opening would be detrimental to Michigan's economy, particularly its auto industry.

"Michigan’s economy is highly integrated with Canada and the Detroit-Windsor corridor is one of the busiest border crossings for trade in our entire country," U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said Monday. "We’ve wanted this bridge for years because it will be a boon for our economy. This is another case of the president undermining Michigan businesses and workers.”

James, R-Shelby Township, labeled Trump the “best dealmaker in the world” during a Tuesday morning radio interview in west Michigan. James had been asked specifically about Trump’s comment about the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

China was going after Canada for a new trade deal and was hoping to have “closer access to the United States through Canada,” James said on the WOOD Radio’s “West Michigan Live.”

“President Trump understands how vital it is not only for our economy but also for our national security to make sure that our neighbors are aware of that,” James said. “President Trump is using every means and method at his disposal to secure America’s economy and our national security.”

In a statement a day earlier, Hannah Osantowske, a campaign spokeswoman for James, also noted he was "an early supporter" of the new bridge. His family's Detroit-based logistics business, James Group International, hosted an event in April 2013 celebrating the U.S. State Department's approval of a permit for the construction of the new bridge.

Hall argued Canada had treated the U.S. badly, citing some Canadian provinces' decision to yank American liquor off store shelves, the nation's decision to enter trade talks with China and its long-standing tariffs on U.S. dairy products.

Hall, who is currently in Washington D.C., said he plans to meet Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to better understand the strategy behind the move. He said he spoke with former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada and the former Michigan Republican Party chairman, after Trump's social media post.

"I was supportive of the president's tweet," Hall said. "I think we need to renegotiate some of these deals with Canada, and he's the ultimate deal maker."

Trump's threat will be "noisy for a while," but is likely the "right leverage point" that will result in a better deal for Michigan and the U.S., Hall said. If Canada were to have made a deal with China, the speaker argued, the state would have been negatively affected by that prospect as well.

He also noted there is another bridge, the Ambassador Bridge, "owned by an American" company and "a lot of people were happy with just one bridge." The 97-year-old Ambassador Bridge is owned by the Moroun family, a major Republican political donor that spent years fighting the construction of the new bridge.

"We've got somebody right at the table who's going to ensure Michigan comes out very well on this deal," Hall said of Hoekstra, "the people of Michigan, the businesses of Michigan and, also, the Michigan-based American company that owns one of the bridges, too.

"They could be subject to some of these same retaliatory tactics that you're seeing the Canadians use against many other United States businesses," Hall said of the Morouns.

State Rep. Matt Maddock, a Milford Republican and longtime Trump ally, said he was supportive of the president's threat. In 2019, Maddock attempted to add state budget language that would have stopped the state from spending any money on the bridge, even if those expenditures were reimbursed by Canada.

At the time, Maddock questioned why the state should function as a "credit card for Canada." On Tuesday, he reiterated his doubts and said the deal left Michigan with a "debtors bridge."

"Trump is right as usual," Maddock said Tuesday. "It's a boondoggle that we will end up paying for in high tolls and an eventual bailout."

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