Trump's threat to Canada came hours after backroom meeting with billionaire competitor

[riversedge]

Source: raw story


Erik De La Garza February 10, 2026 6:53PM ET


A Detroit billionaire who owns a major U.S.-Canada border crossing met privately with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick just hours before Donald Trump publicly threatened to block the opening of a competing international bridge, according to a report from The New York Times.

Matthew Moroun, whose family has long controlled the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, met with Lutnick in Washington on Monday, two officials briefed on the meeting told the Times. The officials said Lutnick later spoke by phone with Trump about the matter.

Not long after, the MAGA leader took to his Truth Social platform to rail against the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, which he threatened to block unless Canada addressed “a long list of grievances,” the Times reported Tuesday.................


Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-canada-2675257271/

---

Lutnick responded with lot of I don't knows this morning (I recall him being asked about some questions).
Seems he is busy running other errands for his boss Trump!


"Matthew Moroun, whose family has long controlled the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, met with Lutnick in Washington on Monday
Not long after, the MAGA leader took to his Truth Social platform to rail against the new Gordie Howe Bridge"
www.rawstory.com/trump-canada...

"Matthew Moroun, whose family has long controlled the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, met with Lutnick in Washington on Monday
Not long after, the MAGA leader took to his Truth Social platform to rail against the new Gordie Howe Bridge"
www.rawstory.com/trump-canada...

— Thinkronicity â„¢ (@thinkronicity.bsky.social) 2026-02-11T00:03:39.494Z

[Whyisthisstillclose]

1. We really need to take Dumpy's keys away.

[Wiz Imp]

2. How does a private individual have control over a major border crossing?

[underpants]

3. I was going to ask the same thing.

I knew there was a move to go back to privately owned roadways in the 2000’s.

People used to own bridges (like the Manchester Bridge here in Richmond) and had a tremendous amount of control. They could ruin a farmer and swoop up their land or do it on behalf of a friend (bribe)

[Raven123]

4. Put a billionaire and Trump in a room and anything can happen

[reACTIONary]

7. At one time Warren Buffet was a part owner...

https://medium.com/@adamraczkowski/the-billionaire-and-the-bridge-6e0bdbe5e4d7

In the 1920s, with the Detroit automotive industry providing strong backing, the private Detroit International Bridge Company was formed. Construction was completed in 1929, just in time for the Great Depression, which put the company into bankruptcy in the 1930s. Through this process, the company became publicly traded. By the late 1970s, Warren Buffet owned a quarter of the Detroit International Bridge Company, as did Matty Moroun. Drawing on the resources of his trucking firm, Matty Moroun bought out Warren Buffet and other investors, taking the company private for $30 million in 1979.

[James48]

8. He bought it. Has owned it forever, and doesn't want competition.

He paid republicans big bucks to try and derail it back in 2015 or so.

[JBTaurus83]

5. I called this in a different thread

I figured the Moroun family was bribing the pig.

[tanyev]

6. Ah. And what else did Moroun bring to the meeting?

Golden Tchotchke? Giant novelty check plus real one? Bag of cash?

[JBTaurus83]

9. The Moroun's

Are the largest holders of slum properties in Detroit and Windsor.

[FakeNoose]

11. Chump and his family can relate to that

He doesn't own much anymore, but that's where he came from.

[bsiebs]

10. Everything with Trump... follow the money...

[ToxMarz]

12. I think it's time for the Morouns to get a little taste of eminent domain

I'm sure if Trump make a case for invading Greenland, some President could consider an international bridge to be within the purview of the Government.

[AllyCat]

13. Can anyone help me understand how a billionaire controls a

Bridge that spans the border of 2 countries?

[aeromanKC]

14. Canada should boycott the moron bridge!!

[mdbl]

15. How much did he have to grease Donald Dump's butt to get this to happen?

[mysteryowl]

16. That is the first time I have known of trump being called "MAGA leader"

It's very funny. He gets demoted by that label. He is "king" of only the maga sheeple.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

20. I did a double take, too...

... eom.

[Ilikepurple]

17. It's interesting, just yesterday we had members downplaying the possibility of a connection

I perhaps lean a little too hard into thinking every move this administration makes should be considered a result of a backroom deal until evidenced otherwise, but many lean hard the other way thinking that anyone considering the possibility of any seemingly outlandish motive behind this administration’s outlandish acts is a gaging in wishful or conspiracy thinking. I didn’t know anything yesterday but suspected the Mathew Maroun was still fighting the good fight against the Geordie Howe bridge. The family has long wanted to own a second bridge across the border, perhaps this is a path too it for the Maroun enterprises. The least sensational explanation is not always right, especially in these times. Obviously, the most sensational explanation is often wrong also. It pays to have multiple people to look at issues from multiple angles as we all have different background knowledge and biases.

[mwmisses4289]

18. Yup, as soon as I read that paragraph in the other article, I had a feeling that was the reason.

[BidenRocks]

19. Nice bridge ya got there!

Here is a court order of eminent domain.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

21. 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.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. MaddowBlog-Why a generous super PAC donation makes Trump's 'Bridgegate' look even worse

Given the recent pattern, it’s tough to ignore the pay-for-play appearances in an administration for which corruption allegations have become the norm.

The pattern of MAGA PAC donors getting what they want is striking, but Trump’s Bridgegate is special:

- Jan 16: billionaire writes a check to Trump-aligned super PAC
- Feb 9: billionaire meets with Howard Lutnick
- Feb 9: Trump abandons his own position and says what the billionaire wanted to hear

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-23T17:03:23.547Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/why-a-generous-super-pac-donation-makes-trumps-bridgegate-look-even-worse

It was against this backdrop that the Times added a new installment to the series on Saturday:

Less than one month before meeting with a top administration official to lobby against a new bridge connecting Michigan with Canada, the billionaire owner of an existing bridge donated $1 million to a super PAC devoted to President Trump.

Matthew Moroun, a Detroit-based trucking magnate whose family has operated the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, for decades, made the donation to MAGA Inc. on Jan. 16, according to a campaign finance report filed on Friday evening.

.....Initially, it wasn’t at all clear what prompted Trump’s declaration, right up until we learned that a Michigan billionaire, Matthew Moroun, had met privately with administration officials, lobbying against the bridge. His motivation was obvious: Moroun owns a separate bridge that connects Michigan and Canada, and as former Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan explained in a piece for MS NOW, he wants to maintain a near-monopoly with his single, privately owned toll bridge.

The Times’ latest reporting, however, made a bad story look worse. Consider a brief timeline:

Jan. 16: Moroun gives $1 million to MAGA Inc.

Feb. 9, midday: Moroun meets Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Feb. 9, evening: Trump abandons his own position and says what Moroun wanted to hear.

....But given the recent pattern, it’s tough to ignore the pay-for-play appearances in an administration for which corruption allegations have become the norm