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The wealthy owner of a nearly century-old bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario gave $1 million US to a Trump-aligned political action committee (PAC) less than a month before the U.S. president unleashed an online tirade against a new, competing bridge, records show. 

Matthew Moroun, whose family has owned the Ambassador Bridge for decades, made the million-dollar contribution to MAGA Inc. on Jan. 16, according to a campaign finance disclosure the super PAC filed Friday evening. The donation was first reported by the New York Times. 

Neither Moroun nor MAGA Inc. immediately responded to interview requests.

A snowy bridge over a riverThe Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, is seen from the Canadian side in a Feb. 10 aerial image. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

It’s the latest revelation about the relationship between Moroun and the Trump administration since the president’s threat earlier this month to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the more than $6-billion project paid for by the Canadian government. The threat has further inflamed tensions between the U.S. and Canada as the trade war between the two longtime allies nears the one-year mark.

The Moroun family has long opposed the construction of the Gordie Howe bridge, which, once operational, is expected to cut crossings — and toll revenue — at the nearby Ambassador Bridge.

The Trump administration has previously appeared supportive of the new span. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security even officially published a rule on Jan. 30 to designate the Gordie Howe bridge as a port of entry.

But on Feb. 9, the president threatened to block its opening, expected in the coming months, unless Canada offers concessions. That threat, delivered via social media, came only hours after Moroun met in Washington with a member of Trump’s cabinet who then relayed the conversation to the president, the Times previously reported. 

Past lobbying, Trump donations

The company that operates the Ambassador Bridge has spent millions on a Trump-connected lobbying firm in recent years — including $250,000 US since August, as CBC Windsor previously reported.

Moroun has also been a heavy donor to Trump and the Republican Party in the past. During the 2020 election cycle alone, Moroun gave $600,000 to a PAC known as Trump Victory.

He’s also given more than $1.2 million to the Republican National Committee since Trump’s first term, including $250,000 in one day this past summer.