Trump Threatens to Force Panama Canal to Be ‘Returned’ to US Over Fees: The ‘Rip Off’ Will ‘Immediately Stop’
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday he might seek to reclaim the Panama Canal in a warning shot aimed at the Panamanian government over new charges for its use.
In a pair of lengthy statements on Truth Social, Trump implied the vital waterway risked falling into “the wrong hands” and also blasted former President Jimmy Carter for agreeing to cede the canal in a 1978 treaty the US honored more than two decades ago. Trump wrote:
The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! 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. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!
In another post, Trump laid into Carter and suggested the canal could be reclaimed.
“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 wrote. “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.” He continued:
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.
Trump said Carter behaved “foolishly” in signing treaties to give the canal to Panama and that it risked falling to China or another US geopolitical foe.
“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,” Trump concluded. “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.”
Supply Chain Dive noted Thursday that the canal was experiencing increased operational costs and those costs were being passed along.
