Moroun TV ad asks Trump to pick America, reject Gordie Howe bridge

Todd Spangler | Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON — For years, the Moroun family which owns and operates Detroit's Ambassador Bridge, has been battling — in court, in ballot referendums, in the Statehouse and the U.S. Capitol — arguing that a Canadian-built, Canadian-financed rival bridge makes no economic sense, violates the law and will unfairly hurt its business.

Now, the Morouns have a new argument — patriotism — and they're taking their plea to the top amid a budding trade war and open animosity between the U.S. and its northern ally.

In a new TV commercial, scheduled to air soon on "Fox & Friends," the Moroun-controlled Detroit International Bridge Co. appeals directly to President Donald Trump, asking him to review and revoke a 2013 presidential permit that allows Canada to build a new international span to Detroit.

It does so by suggesting that the Canadian bridge will take jobs and trade away from the U.S. It comes as Trump is fighting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and calling him "dishonest and weak." The two continue to spar over renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement and Trump's threatened tariffs on steel and aluminum, saying they are needed as a national security measure against one of the nation's top trading partners.

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The ad, which is on the website Vimeo, suggests that by allowing Canada to build the span, the steel for its construction might be made outside the U.S. and that the jobs to build the span would not be given to Americans — unlike a second span of the privately owned Ambassador Bridge being proposed by the Morouns.

But the permit allowing for the construction of the new $2 billion Canadian-built bridge — which would be owned by Michigan and Canada but would be financed entirely by Canada — says steel for the structure must come from the U.S. or Canada. And Gov. Rick Snyder and other supporters in Michigan have also said construction of the new bridge could mean thousands of U.S. jobs.

"Who knows who would make the steel," a male narrator says in the ad, as a piano plaintively plays "America the Beautiful" in the background and computer-generated images of the Moroun's proposed second span are shown against an empty, industrial image of where the new Canadian bridge would be built.

"We want the American bridge. But wait," the ad says, showing a picture of former President Barack Obama frowning, under the subtext "Obama sided with Canada."

"Inexplicably, President Obama issued a presidential permit and granted a Buy American waiver for Canada, so their Canadian-owned bridge didn’t have to use American steel."

Then, with a photo of Trump saluting, the narrator says, "We have a simple request: Please review that presidential permit. Then revoke that presidential permit and let the grand new span be American, let those jobs be for Americans, let that steel be strong American steel. Choose American. Thank you sir."

The ad closes, saying "Signed America."

As previously reported, the Moroun family and the Detroit International Bridge Co. were already interested in getting Trump to intervene in the bridge dispute, since Canada is moving ahead with plans for its bridge while saying a second span to the Ambassador Bridge can be built only under an agreement that the existing bridge will be dismantled after the new span opens for traffic — which the Bridge Company says is an unfair request.

But by bringing in Black Diamond Strategies in Washington and putting the ad on "Fox & Friends," which the president is known to watch and occasionally appear on, the Morouns appear to be putting together a campaign designed to reach past potential gatekeepers and directly to the president.

Black Diamond includes as a principal Doug Davenport, who served as an adviser for the Trump campaign and worked on the 2016 Republican National Convention, having been brought in by former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

And it certainly can't hurt that the ad criticizes Obama, who Trump frequently blames for mistakes in office he claims hurt American trade and jobs.

The move by the Bridge Company also comes at a time when the Moroun family has been winning positive remarks for its decision to sell the dilapidated and historic Michigan Central Station in Detroit to Ford Motor Co., which plans to redevelop it after decades of its appearing as a towering symbol of blight in the city.

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Neither the White House nor the State Department responded to the Free Press' requests Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for comment on the ad. But the state Department of Transportation responded, with spokesman Jeff Cranson calling the ad "misleading" as it appears on Vimeo.

"Most importantly, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will be jointly owned by Canada and Michigan," Cranson said. "The ad also falsely suggests that steel used to build the Gordie Howe International Bridge will come from overseas. Nothing could be further from the truth. The 'Buy American' waiver requires all steel to come from either the United States or Canada, which is more than appropriate given that the Gordie Howe International Bridge will be a vital border crossing connecting these two countries and Canada is generously financing its construction."

Dan Stamper, the Bridge Company's president, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that the plea was made because it lines up with Trump's "America First agenda" and that it's necessary because of Canada's "anticompetitive" demands regarding a second Ambassador Bridge span.

"We are appealing to the administration directly because the administration has the ability in the presidential permitting process to side with an American company," Stamper said. "The Ambassador Bridge’s second span will create thousands of good paying American jobs using American steel.”

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler. This story has been modified to reflect that the ad has not yet aired on Fox.