Former Republican operative Steve Schmidt has accused President Donald Trump of deliberately blocking the opening of a new international bridge between the United States and Canada to protect the financial interests of a political donor, describing the move as a «barrier of corruption» that has severely damaged relations with a key ally.
In a Wednesday episode of his program The Warning, timed to Canada Day on July 1, Schmidt focused on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit. He noted that the bridge, paid for entirely by Canada, is a critical infrastructure project designed to handle roughly a trillion dollars in annual trade between the two countries. Under the agreement, the U.S. side retains half of the toll revenue.
«It is a vital pipeline, an artery for commerce that flows back and forth, a trillion dollars a year,» Schmidt said. He added that the bridge «sustains jobs» and «creates opportunity across both sides of the border.»
However, Schmidt argued that Trump has refused to allow the Gordie Howe Bridge to open, citing a connection to Matthew T. Moroun, a Detroit billionaire who owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge. According to Schmidt, Moroun «donated $1 million to Donald Trump.» The Ambassador Bridge is a toll bridge that currently handles heavy traffic between the two countries.
«The Ambassador Bridge is jam-packed. It's a toll bridge,» Schmidt explained. «When the new bridge opens, it will diminish the traffic and decrease the profit for the ownership group on the bridge.»
Schmidt blasted the administration's refusal to open the new bridge, calling it a direct result of donor influence. He also pointed to broader damage to the U.S.-Canada relationship, noting that tensions have even hurt the American bourbon industry.
«Donald Trump has erected a barrier of corruption as if he's generalissimo of some banana republic, and it's appalling,» Schmidt said. «He has vandalized a relationship that is steeped in friendship that goes back beyond the moment of his birth, and it is appalling.»
The Gordie Howe International Bridge was conceived as a way to relieve congestion at the Ambassador Bridge, which handles about a quarter of all trade between the U.S. and Canada. The new bridge was completed with Canadian funding, and its opening was expected to boost commerce and create jobs on both sides of the border.
Schmidt called on the next president to repair the relationship, saying, «The next president has an absolute moral obligation to repair this relationship.» He also urged Americans to apologize to Canada, saying, «Look north and think this thought: we're sorry.»
The accusations come amid a broader deterioration in U.S.-Canada relations under the Trump administration, which has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and engaged in trade disputes. The White House has not commented on Schmidt's claims regarding the bridge.