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Trump Fires Back After Panama President Responds To His Threat to Retake Vital Canal
Charlie Kirk Staff
12/23/2024
President-elect Donald Trump responded sharply on Sunday after Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino issued a scathing statement rejecting Trump’s demand to end what he called unfair practices against U.S. shipping companies and the U.S. Navy.
Trump’s demands came amid concerns over significant investments by communist China aimed at increasing its influence and control over the Panama Canal and its surrounding infrastructure. The canal is a vital waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; it was built by the U.S. in the early 1900s during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency and ceded to Panama by treaty during President Jimmy Carter’s term in the late 1970s.
Initially, Trump posted on his TruthSocial page:
The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports. The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 percent of all transits heading to, or from, U.S. ports. Considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal opened for business 110 years ago, and was built at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure – 38,000 American men died from infected mosquitos in the jungles during construction. Teddy Roosevelt was President of the United States at the time of its building, and understood the strength of Naval Power and Trade. When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else. It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage. Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete “rip-off” of our Country will immediately stop.
Trump fired back at some of the Panamanian president’s remarks where Mulino said, “Every square meter of the Panama Canal … belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama.”
“We’ll see about that!” Trump posted.
Trump shared an AI-generated image on social media depicting an American flag flying from the stern of a ship as it navigated through the Panama Canal.
“Welcome to the United States Canal!” Trump wrote.
Trump’s posts follow remarks from Mulino asserting that Panama would never relinquish control over the U.S.-built Panama Canal.
“As President, I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA, and will continue to be,” Mulino stated. “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”
He said that the canal brings “billions of dollars” to Panama’s economy per year.
“Rates are not a whim,” he said. “They are and will be established, publicly and in an open audience, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs, and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic waterway.”
But he also said that he wanted a “good and respectful relationship” with the U.S. and believed that “issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, and organized crime must be a priority on our bilateral agenda.”
