From the Panama Canal to Denali: 6 key takeaways from Trump’s Sunday speech to conservative activists in Phoenix

CNN
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In his first rally-like speech since the November election, President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, pushed back against criticism of Elon Musk’s influence and suggested he could soon meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s speech in Phoenix, at a Turning Point USA gathering of conservative activists celebrating his victory last month, largely mirrored the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail — including lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 election — but was tempered with his satisfaction of having won. .

“We had no riots. We had nothing. It was a beautiful thing to watch,” Trump said, noting the Democrats’ concession of the 2024 election. “They just said, ‘We lost.’ And we will try to bring everyone together.”

Trump did not address the chaotic past week in Washington, where he played a central role in scuttling a short-term government funding deal in the House with a last-minute statement from his opposition — and a fierce social media campaign led by Musk against it. Their opposition sparked a battle that got lawmakers to approve another short-term measure without the debt ceiling suspension Trump had demanded to avert a government shutdown.

Instead, Trump promised to keep promises he made on the campaign trail and to take action on his first day in office on immigration, energy production and a host of culture war issues, among other issues.

Here are six key lines from Trump’s speech on Sunday:

Trump said he would consider regaining control of the Panama Canal, which he referred to as a “vital national asset,” doubling down on social media he had made on the subject Saturday.

“Our navy and commerce have been treated in a most unjust and unjust manner. The charges levied by Panama are ridiculous, very unjust, especially in view of the extraordinary generosity which has been bestowed upon Panama—I say, very foolishly, of the United States,” Trump said. “This complete rip-off of our country will stop immediately.”

It was a demonstration of how America’s approach to foreign policy could shift under Trump, who has shown a willingness to use bellicose rhetoric — even toward allies — to achieve his goals. He has threatened 25% tariffs, for example, on Canada and Mexico on Day 1 of his administration.

The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is a vital passage for American trade, which was built mainly by the United States and opened in 1914. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty that began the process of transferring control of the canal to Panama in 1977, and this transfer was completed in 1999.

“It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions — you have to treat us fairly. And they haven’t treated us fairly,” Trump said. “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States in its entirety, quickly and without questions. I won’t stand for it. So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.”

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino stated in a video message Sunday afternoon that the canal and its adjacent zone belong to Panama.

“The sovereignty and independence of our country is non-negotiable,” Mulino said a statement published on Xwhich points to the 1977 treaty.

“Panama respects other nations and demands respect. With the new administration in the United States, I strive to preserve and maintain a good and respectful relationship,” he added. “Security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking and organized crime should be a priority on our bilateral agenda , as they are a real threat that should concern us,” Mulino said.

Trump suggested he could meet with Putin early in his presidency as he tries to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump said ending the war is “one of the things I want to do quickly,” and said Putin wants to meet with him “as soon as possible.”

“So we have to wait for this. But we have to end that war,” Trump said.

During Putin’s end of the year media last week, he said he is “ready” for potential talks with Trump.

Trump pushed back on Democrats’ characterization of Musk as acting as de facto president after Musk — who has spent a lot of time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago since the president-elect’s victory — helped fuel the bipartisan government funding bill last year week.

“No, he’s not taking over the presidency. I like to have smart people,” he said. “They’re on a new kick. “Russia, Russia, Russia,” “Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine,” all the different scams. The new one is ‘President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.’ No, no, that’s not happening.”

Trump went on to praise Musk’s company, SpaceX, for making advances in space travel and for its Starlink satellite technology, but reiterated that Musk “doesn’t want to be president.”

“No, he’s not going to be president, I can tell you that,” he said. “And I’m safe, you know why? He can’t be—he wasn’t born in this country.”

Former President Barack Obama’s administration renamed the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley, Denali to honor Alaska’s native people, who had used the name for centuries.

Trump reached out to the subject after crediting President William McKinley with spurring the economic prosperity that allowed President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration to begin construction of the Panama Canal.

Trump said McKinley should have his name restored because he was a “great president” who “deserves it.”

“McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name from Mount McKinley. That’s what they do to people,” Trump said.

“President McKinley was the president responsible for creating a tremendous amount of money,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re going to bring back the name Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it.”

Trump also said he would restore the names of military bases such as North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, the former name of what is now Fort Liberty. The name was changed in 2023 to strip the military base of its Confederate namesake.

“Woke must stop. Because, along with everything else, it is destroying our country. We stop waking up,” Trump said. “Woke is bullsh*t.”

Trump defended his controversial choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and appeared to suggest he would allow Kennedy to investigate for links between vaccines and autism, despite no evidence to support the link Kennedy has long claimed exists.

Pointing to increases in diagnoses of autism, childhood cancer and chronic illnesses, Trump said “something is wrong.”

“Together we will make America healthy again,” Trump said. “Something bad is happening.”

Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism has been a source of focus for some Republican senators meeting with Trump’s Cabinet nominees ahead of confirmation hearings. Both Kennedy and Trump have tried in recent weeks to address those concerns — with Trump describing himself at a recent press conference as “a big supporter of the polio vaccine” and Kennedy saying he is “all in favor” of the vaccine.

Still, at the same press conference, Trump noted higher autism rates and said he wants Kennedy to “come back with a report on what he thinks. We’re going to find out a lot.”

Trump again expressed openness to allowing social media app TikTok to continue operating in the US, suggesting the app may have helped reach some key voters.

His comments come as the Supreme Court agreed last week to decide whether a controversial ban on the social media app violates the First Amendment. The High Court agreed to expedite the case and hear arguments on January 10.

Touting his popularity on the app and the gains he made with young voters in the 2024 election, Trump said he’s “going to have to start thinking about TikTok.”

“We went on TikTok and we got an amazing response. We had billions and billions of views,” he said.

Trump said he was shown a chart highlighting the views his campaign had received there. “As I was looking at it, I said, ‘Maybe we should keep this nonsense for a while,'” he said.