Dec. 22 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump threatened Sunday to demand control of the Panama Canal be returned to the United States, and went after Canada and Mexico for ‘unfair’ trade practices.
“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” he told a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday. It was Trump’s first major rally since regaining control of the White House with a convincing win in the November 5th election.
“This complete rip-off of our country will immediately stop,” he said, referring the time when he takes office next month.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded quickly to Trump’s comments, and said that “every square meter” of the canal and surrounding area belong to his country.
Trump made his remarks Sunday to supporters attending AmericaFest, an event held by Turning Point USA, a conservative activist group that provided significant support to his 2024 presidential election campaign. The 4 day pep-rally event was held in Phoenix drew more than 20,000 people.
Trump, who spoke for an hour and fifteen minutes, slipped quickly into the type of rambling stump speech, finger-pointing rhetoric that won him the support of many conservatives who have coalesced around his Make America Great Again campaign slogan, but which has been notably lacking in specific policy proposals.
“I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us,” Trump said during his speech Sunday in Phoenix. “There’s a spirit that we have now that we didn’t have just a short while ago.”
In addition to Panama, the former and future president also called out Canada and Mexico for what he called unfair trade practices, and for allowing drugs and illegal immigrants into the U.S.
The Panama canal, which cuts through the Isthmus of Panama to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, was constructed by the United States beginning in 1904 after it supported Panama’s 1903 independence from Colombia and negotiated for control of the canal zone and providing a needed shipping route without having to circumnavigate South America.
However, Panamanians began to resent the U.S. control of the canal zone, viewing it as a continued violation of their national sovereignty. Former President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty in 1977 pledging to transfer canal control to Panama by 2000. It was officially handed over to Panamanian control on Dec. 31, 1999.
However, China is the second biggest user of the canal behind the United States and its influence in the region has grown after Panama decided to cut ties with Taiwan in 2017, during Trump’s first term as president, to curry favor with China.
“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,” Trump said Saturday on his Truth Social platform. “A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy.”
Trump noted that the canal was built at a “huge” cost to the United States, including the deaths of thousands of men who were infected by mosquitos.
“When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for $1, during his term in office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else,” Trump said.
Trump criticized Panama for charging the United States what he called “ridiculous” fees and “exorbitant prices” for the use of the canal, especially considering what he called the “extraordinary generosity” of the gift of the canal to Panama.
“It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” Trump said. “To the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!”
United Press International has reached out to the Panama Canal Authority for comment.
