The United States relinquished control of Panama’s waterways in 1999 under a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter.
advertiseUS President-elect Trump said his new administration may try to regain control of the Panama Canal that Washington “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally.
Speaking at his first post-election rally in Arizona, Trump complained about the “ridiculous” fees charged by the canal authority to ships passing through the vital waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
“Our Navy and our commerce have been treated very unfairly and unwisely,” Trump told his supporters.
“The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous and deeply unfair, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity Panama has received. This will stop. The United States has a huge vested interest in the safe, efficient and reliable operation of the canal.” “
The United States relinquished control of Panama’s waterways in 1999 under a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter.
The canal is vital to Panama’s economy, accounting for about a fifth of the government’s annual revenue.
The canal relies on reservoirs to operate its locks. In 2023, the company was severely affected by drought in Central America and was forced to significantly reduce the number of daily transit ship takeoffs and landings.
With fewer ships using the canal every day, managers have also increased the fees charged to all shippers for booking space.
Canal traffic has returned to normal as weather returns to normal in the second half of the year, but prices are still expected to rise next year.
Trump said that when he is president, “this utter deceit will stop immediately” in the United States.
If not, he said, the waterway could be “completely returned to the United States of America without question,” without explaining how.
But Panamanian President José Raul Mulino flatly rejected suggestions that Washington might try to regain control of the canal.
“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surrounding areas belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama. Our country’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable,” he said Sunday night.
The Republican president-elect used his first major rally since taking over the White House in November to celebrate his return to power, with a large conservative audience cheering.
Trump spoke to supporters at the Turning Point USA festival in Arizona, promising that his “Dream Team Cabinet” would deliver economic prosperity, seal U.S. borders and quickly resolve wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
advertise“I am proud to announce that America’s golden age is upon us,” Trump said.
“We have a spirit now that we didn’t have not that long ago.”
