The Panama Canal “will continue to be Panamanian,” the country's president said in response to Trump
US President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the United States would take back the Panama Canal when he delivered an inaugural address in which he invoked the 19th-century expansionist doctrine of Manifest Destiny.
Doubling down on his pre-inauguration threat to restore US control of the canal, Trump again accused Panama of reneging on promises it made in 1999 to finally hand over the strategic waterway and cede its operation to China; claims that the government of Panama. categorically denied.
“We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we're taking it back,” Trump said.
He gave no further details on when or how he intends to do so, but has previously refused to rule out the possible use of military force, drawing criticism from Washington's Latin American friends and foes.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino responded to X on Monday that his country has responsibly managed the canal for global trade, including the US, and that it “is and will continue to be Panamanian.”
Trump's reiteration of his threat over the Panama Canal as he began his second term was the most overt reference to his territorial expansion agenda in recent weeks.
On the eve of his inauguration, he also said he wanted to acquire Greenland, portraying the Danish overseas territory as crucial to US national security interests, and considered turning Canada into the US.
“We will pursue our manifest destiny”
Critics have accused Trump of using language that evokes modern imperialism, suggesting that such rhetoric could embolden Russia in its invasion of Ukraine and justify China if it decides to invade autonomous Taiwan.
Some analysts have questioned whether Trump is serious about pursuing what critics say is a land grab, suggesting he may set an extreme negotiating position to squeeze concessions later in his 2017-2021 term At the time, Trump was known for making some headline-grabbing threats and announcements that he failed to follow through on.
President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Panama Canal is “vital” to the United States and that the treaties signed by former President Jimmy Carter that cede control of the canal to the Central American country were a “big mistake.”
Meanwhile, Trump made no mention of Greenland or Canada In his inaugural address, he hinted at territorial ambitions for his second four-year term.
“The United States will once again consider itself a nation on the rise, increasing our wealth, expanding our territory, building our cities, raising our expectations, and carrying our flag to new and beautiful horizons,” he said.
“And we will pursue our manifest destiny to the stars by launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on Mars,” Trump said.
The phrase Manifest Destiny, originally coined in the mid-1800s, was a belief in the God-ordained right of the United States to expand its control over all of North America and was used to justify the seizure of land from Mexico and Native Americans.
In Monday's speech, Trump also repeated his promise to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf.
Former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton laughed when US President Donald Trump announced during his inauguration speech that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Trump said the US “stupidly” gave the Panama Canal to Panama.
The United States primarily built the canal and administered the area surrounding the passage for decades. However, the United States and Panama signed a pair of agreements in 1977 that paved the way for full Panamanian control of the canal. The United States handed it over in 1999 after a period of joint administration.
“We have been treated very badly by this stupid gift that should never have been given, and the promise to Panama has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty have been completely violated,” Trump said.
He said American ships are “heavily loaded and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form.”
Panama has insisted it treats all ships passing through the canal fairly and says China has no control over its administration.
China does not control or manage the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings 0001.HK has long managed two ports on the canal's Caribbean and Pacific entrances.
The canal is an 82-kilometer-long man-made waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans through Panama and is critical for the import of automobiles and commercial goods from Asia by container ship to the US and the export of US goods, including liquefied natural gas.
