'Incoherent' Trump sparks backlash after bizarre Stanley Cup threat

[turbinetree]

By Matthew Chapman
Published February 9, 2026 9:47 PM ET

President Donald Trump is already horrifying both experts and local politicians with his attack on an international bridge project between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, in Canada.

Specifically, Trump is demanding that the United States own half of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which was first planned in 2013 under the Barack Obama administration to boost tourism and regional jobs.

"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve," he wrote. "We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical."

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-canada-bridge/

Hey idiot ..................since you have no clue what hockey is all about maybe you should put on some skates and take a jaunt on the ice and feel the passion that I and millions of others that grew up with the sport from the State that has the Hockey Hall of Fame..............can you tell the world the name of the hockey team from China that plays against my favorite team the Blackhawks and when that happened................I am waiting and so are millions of others ...................idiot..............
I bet one thing you have no clue who are the original six teams of hockey are without getting help from your crimnal team to google it for you............and I bet you couldn't name the teams that Gordie Howe played on .............and I bet you don't even know what his "hat trick" was all about..................your a loser and nothing more than a small person.................go away.......and in my opinion if the Dodgers show up at the peoples house with their trophy, so that you can get some photo op and jersey with 47 on it..............they should be booed when they go on the field this spring in my opinion................

[johnnyfins]

1. The colicky baby wants his tribute...

[Dave Bowman]

2. Can this idiot even find Canada on a map?

[turbinetree]

3. He knows that its somewhere in his head .........where it is he doesn't even know............

[MustLoveBeagles]

20. Doubtful

He's such an embarrassment.

[Talitha]

4. Quiet, piggy.

[LSparkle]

5. He needs to wet his beak (n/t)

[Srkdqltr]

6. Canada owns most of the bridge.

[struggle4progress]

7. Him got a moldy old chopped green bologna sammitch where him branes oughta be

[johnp3907]

8. You're too generous.

[Marie Marie]

9. Carney stood up to him now Canada must pay!!!

Just another temper tantrump..

[Justice matters.]

15. old mob boss extortion habits

Canadian taxpayers paid for the entire project since pukes in Michigan refused to share the costs, so now once it's done and paid for, the old mob boss wants half of the revenues or it would be a shame if something bad happens...

[Hassler]

10. If he still has that yellow vest prop, Chump

Can personally stop all bridge traffic with a crossing guard stop sign and his giant orange ass

[James48]

11. He is such an idiot.

The bridge was proposed in 2013. Canada offered to go halves…

But republicans in Michigan refused to spend any money. So Canada ended up agreeing to finance the whole project themselves. They paid for it. They should collect the tolls.

Republicans only want public works when they figure out how they can make money off it

[Bev54]

12. Hey Idiot, Canadian taxpayers paid 100% of this bridge

We owe you nothing!!!!

[LisaM]

13. He is probably resentful that they didn't offer to name it after him.

I'm sure he resents Gordie Howe because people actually liked him. (Heck, I liked Gordie Howe so much I named a dog I had once after him).

[Cirsium]

14. Some context

President Donald Trump has bizarrely claimed that China is plotting to "terminate ALL ice hockey" in Canada as he threatened to block a new suspension bridge between the U.S. and its northern neighbor.
...

"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.
...

"The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup," Trump claimed, without explaining how exactly this would be done.
...

Named after famed Detroit hockey player and Canadian national Gordon Howe, the new bridge has been under construction since 2018 and was entirely funded by the Canadian government, which will recoup its money by collecting bridge tolls.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-gordie-howe-bridge-michigan-b2917127.html

We could use Bobbie Probert about now to deal with this hoser.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. MaddowBlog-Trump sends Canada a silly warning: China would 'eliminate' hockey and the Stanley Cup

Sounding like a man who’s worried about his ex dating someone new, the president sent Ottawa a message that reeks of desperation.

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-sends-canada-a-silly-warning-china-would-eliminate-hockey-and-the-stanley-cup

About a decade ago, as Barack Obama started wrapping up his final year as president, the Democrat traveled to Canada to deliver remarks to the House of Commons in Ottawa. To understate matters, Obama received an extraordinarily warm welcome.

In fact, an NBC News report from the time noted that he was greeted with “rapturous” applause and an extended standing ovation, which included Canadian lawmakers chanting, “Four more years! Four more years!” for quite a while.....

A decade later, Donald Trump continues to find new ways to shred that partnership. The New York Times reported:

President Trump threatened on Monday to block the opening of a new bridge between the United States and Canada if Canadian officials did not address a long and growing list of grievances, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Amid a trade war and a deepening rift between the United States and its northern neighbor, Mr. Trump said that he would ‘not allow’ the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, scheduled to open early this year for traffic between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, ‘until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.’

To be sure, there are a variety of unanswered questions. What does Trump expect to get from this tantrum? How exactly would he try block the opening of the bridge? Was this a sincere announcement tied to actual White House policy, or was it just some random nonsense that the Republican published to his social media platform that he had no intention of acting on?....

As is always the case, context is everything. After a year in which Trump threatened, insulted, penalized and even tried to acquire our neighbor to the north, Canada did what many traditional U.S. allies started doing in 2024: They began looking for new friends.

The more the White House took steps to try to bully Ottawa into submission, the more the Republican administration pushed Canada into China’s waiting arms.

Sounding very much like a man who’s enraged by the idea of his ex dating someone new, Trump apparently thought it would be a good idea to focus on one of Canada’s cultural touchstones, warning Canadians that if they agreed to stronger economic ties to China, the Asian giant would ban hockey.

It’s a ridiculous claim that reeks of desperation. If the American president wants to sound more persuasive and less pitiful, he’ll need fewer arguments that illicit derisive laughter.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

17. MaddowBlog-Democrats launch investigation into Trump's 'Bridgegate' controversy

Even in a White House known for corruption, the president’s objections to the Gordie Howe International Bridge appear quite brazen.

If you’re late to the controversy surrounding Trump and the Gordie Howe International Bridge (as I was), it’s a doozy:
- billionaire donor wants a lucrative monopoly
- he calls Lutnick
- Lutnick calls Trump
- Trump rejects his own position, does what the billionaire wants
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-17T21:59:01.375Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-launch-investigation-into-trumps-bridgegate-controversy

There was no obvious reason for Trump to make such a declaration — that is, until The New York Times reported on what happened just hours beforehand:

The billionaire owner of a bridge connecting Michigan with Canada met Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, on Monday hours before President Trump lambasted a competing span, in the latest flashpoint in the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Canada.

Matthew Moroun is a Detroit-based trucking magnate whose family has operated the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, for decades. He met on Monday with Mr. Lutnick in Washington, according to two officials briefed on the meeting who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

According to the Times’ report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, after Lutnick spoke to the well-connected billionaire donor, the commerce secretary spoke with Trump by phone. Shortly afterward, Trump issued his odd threat.

Even in a White House known for corruption, this appeared quite brazen.

In a piece for MS NOW published over the weekend, former Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan explained, “The busiest northern border crossing in the United States is the one between Detroit and Windsor, Canada. Billions of dollars of manufacturing and agricultural goods cross this border every day, as well as essential workers and professionals. This corridor is economically vital for the United States and crucially important to our national security.”

As things stand, Stabenow added, a single, privately owned toll bridge “dominates this critical trade corridor.” That bridge — you guessed it — is owned by the Moroun family, which wants to maintain its near-monopoly.....

Trump’s seemingly corrupt hysterics notwithstanding, there’s no reason for U.S. officials to oppose this project. Canada footed the bill for its construction, and it will collect toll revenue until it recoups its costs. At that point, the bridge will be jointly owned by both countries.

Yes, Trump and his White House team have come up with some creative new objections to the project they used to support, though as The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait explained, “Trump’s stated demands to open the bridge are a mixture of fantasy and contrived grievance.”

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal went so far as to label the mess Trump’s “Bridgegate,” harking back to the scandal that did lasting harm to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

[dalton99a]

19. +1

[Gato Moteado]

18. you're a hawks fan?????

you from chicago? when i was a kid, my aunt and uncle had 4 season tickets every year....i got to go with them quite a bit to the chicago stadium back in the 70s.

[turbinetree]

21. I grew in the wild of MN northland and since there was no professional hockey team I use to listen

to the Hawks on the AM dial WGN ..............at night............and have been a fan for over 65 years and I am going to get my 100 year anniversary sweater ......in black or White .......I use to dabble in the rink...........and I mean dabble.............

[Gato Moteado]

22. what about the north stars?

[turbinetree]

23. I was someone that liked the North Stars don't get me wrong but I have always been with the Blackhawks

when North Stars came about in the late 60s, I always asked myself why did it take so long, they just took to long and then when they went to Dallas that was it done..............Now the Wild on the other hand are a different matter............they have some home grown men on the team............and when they play I always want them to win also..............the State of Hockey deserves the Stanley Cup in my opinion............but what do I know..........I just love the game because it really does take a team to win on the ice, it has gotten much faster since I played on the frozen lakes and the rivers............the skates have have really developed to what we see today and the length of the sticks..............