Where this was said
Corruption Watch: The Gordie Howe Bridge Shakedown
At 44:27 · chapter starts 36:05
Tommy tells the story of the Gordie Howe Bridge with novelistic specificity: Canada paid $4.7 billion entirely on its own to build a six-lane bridge across the Detroit River, covering roughly 25% of all US-Canada truck trade and $100 billion per year in commerce. The existing Ambassador Bridge is privately owned by the Moroun family, notorious Detroit slumlords. When Matthew Moroun — son of the late Matty Moroun — donated $1 million to a Trump-aligned PAC and met with Howard Lutnick, Trump posted a truth-social screed hours later demanding the US own 'at least one half' of the bridge and blocking its opening. The eventual deal gave the US a cut of net tolls for 15 years and gave Moroun's bridge a veto over any competing price cuts below comparable crossings. Ben zooms out: point a camera at any Trump-adjacent deal and you find something like this. It's not random — it's systemic. He compares it to how Russia under Putin runs its economy, where no bridge gets built without a kickback to someone in the circle. Tommy adds a fresh example: a New York Times story posted mid-recording revealed Trump received $2 million from a South Korean company under US trade investigation, listed as a 'nonrefundable development fee.'
Canada paid $4.7 billion for the Gordie Howe Bridge entirely on its own. Then Matthew Moroun, heir to the competing Ambassador Bridge, donated $1M to a Trump super PAC, met Commerce Secretary Lutnick, and hours later Trump posted a rant blocking the bridge's opening — demanding US ownership of 'at least one half.' The corruption is textbook.
Canada funded the entire $4.7 billion Gordie Howe Bridge, then Trump blocked its opening after a billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner donated $1M to a Trump-aligned super PAC.
Nearly one quarter of all US-Canada truck trade — roughly $100 billion per year — passes through the Detroit area crossing, making the Gordie Howe Bridge strategically vital.
A New York Times story reported Trump received $2 million from a South Korean company that was facing a US trade investigation, described in his financial disclosure as a 'nonrefundable development fee.'
