President Donald Trump said Friday, July 24, that it was "fine" that Canada excluded the United States from the opening ceremony of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge after he threatened the country with a new 50% tariff.

In a Truth Social post on July 24, the president said the Americans' exclusion from the event was "fine" since Canada was paying a "substantial" amount in tariffs.

"Canada disinvited the United States of America to the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, which is fine, considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States," Trump said.

The new bridge, named for the legendary Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe, who notably played for the Detroit Red Wings, is set to open July 27 for passenger and commercial traffic, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Howe died at the age of 88 in June 2016.

In the same Truth Social post, Trump said the original agreement for governing the bridge "no longer stands," adding that it has been "terribly negotiated by a previous administration."

"We changed the terms of the Deal so that the United States of America now gets 50% of the Profit," Trump said.

Back in February, Trump threatened to block the bridge from opening, citing Canadian restrictions on sales of U.S. alcohol as well as disagreements on tariffs and Canada's trade deals with China.

Canada fully financed the bridge and began construction in 2018.ย 

Despite Trump claiming that the United States would get half of all profit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country would not share toll revenues.

During a news conference July 23, Carney said Canada would not share toll revenues from the new bridge until his country recoups its initial investment.ย 

Reuters contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Canada opening Gordie Howe bridge without US was 'fine'