What is the Panama Canal and why is Trump threatening to regain control of the US?

On By Littum

The Panama Canal dey on the right while Trump on red tie dey right side.

Wia dis photo is from, Getty Images/Panama Canal Authority

The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, is not asking Panama to reduce tolls for the Panama Canal or return it to American control.

Trump says Panama charges fees but they are too ‘unfair’ and the country needs to stop it.

President-elect Trump is among those in Arizona on Sunday, where he will address supporters of Turning Point USA, a conservative activist group that is providing significant support for the 2024 election campaign.

Trump makes me aware of a comment, says we’re taking office next month, and then takes action on the Panama Canal.

Dis tok of Trump no go well wit Panama president wey tok say I am independent and nothing fits do them.

President José Raúl Mulino says that “every square meter” of di canal and the surrounding area belongs to im contri.

President Mulino even adds that Panama’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.

This comment by Trump is like a rare example of an American leader saying that it is appropriate to pressure a country to hand over the husband’s territory.

While I won’t explain how I do it, one sign of how American foreign policy and diplomacy fits will shift once the White House is inaugurated on January 20, 2025.

Why is Trump threatening to regain control of the US?

Because of the high shipping fees that Trump claims Panama charges for the canal, I am threatening to regain control of the am.

If shipping rates are not lower, Trump says, “we will go and demand that they return the Panama Canal to us, fully, quickly and without question”.

I also indict the Central American countries who say they take “too much credit” for American ships and naval vessels.

“The fees they charge for Panama are ridiculous, very unfair,” I said.

“The complete rip-off of our country stop immediately”.

Want to be the Panama Canal?

The 82 km long Panama Canal cuts through the Central American nation and is the main link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Built in the early 1900s, the US authorities maintained control of the Canal Zone until 1977, when treaties gradually returned the land to Panama.

After a period of joint control, Panama assumed sole control for 1999.

Up to 14,000 ships cross the canal a year, including container ships carrying cars, natural gas and oda cargo and military vessels.