Trump threatens to try to bring back the Panama Canal. The president of Panama rejects this proposal

PHOENIX (AP) – Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, saying shippers were being charged “ridiculous” fees to get through important supplies. a transit channel that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in April on a business platform, dismissed the idea as an affront to his country's sovereignty.

The Republican president-elect's comments came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5. He also used his comments to celebrate his return to power as many conservatives cheered. It was a show of party unity and a clash with the recently concluded budget battle on Capitol Hill in which some GOP lawmakers came out against their leader's demands.

Speaking to supporters at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump promised that his “Cabinet team” will deliver a growing economy, close US borders and quickly resolve the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

“I can proudly announce that the Golden Age of America is upon us,” Trump said. “There is a spirit that we have now that we didn't have a short time ago.”

His appearance overshadowed a four-day rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and painted an image of Republican unity despite last week's chaos in Washington when Trump pulled the plug on his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress tried to avert the government. closing down for the Christmas break.

House Republicans struck a bipartisan deal after Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire partner, voiced their opposition on social media. Budget hawks ignored Trump's request to raise the national debt, which would have prevented new rounds of the same war after he takes office on January 20, 2025, when Republicans control the House and Senate. The final agreement did not address the issue and was not closed.

Trump, in his remarks in Phoenix, did not mention the conference game, although he referred to the growing power of Musk. Suggesting that “President Trump gave Elon the presidency,” Trump made it clear, “No, no. That's not happening.”

“He's not going to be president,” Trump said.

The president-elect opened the speech by saying “we want to try to bring everyone together. We're going to try. We're going to really give it a shot.” He then suggested that Democrats are “lost in confidence” and “confused” after the election but will eventually “come to us because we want to be with them.”

At the top of the list of complaints – some old, some new – was the Panama Canal.

“We are being cheated at the Panama Canal,” he said, lamenting that his country “stupidly gave in.”

The United States built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s, as it looked for ways to facilitate the movement of commercial and military ships between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on December 31, 1999, under an agreement signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was severely affected by the 2023 Central American drought which forced it to drastically reduce the number of daily crossing slots. With fewer ships using the canal each day, regulators also increased the fees charged to all shippers for keeping space.

As the weather returns to normal in the coming months of this year, canal trips are back to normal. But an increase in prices is still expected next year.

Mulino, the president of Panama, has been described as someone who respects many people and aligns with Trump on many issues. Panama is a strong ally of the US and the canal is important to its economy, generating about one-fifth of the government's annual revenue.

Nevertheless, Trump said, if his second term continues, “If the principles, moral and legal, of this great act of philanthropy are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America. , fully, immediately and without hesitation.”

“I'm not going to represent you,” Trump said. “So to the officials of Panama, please be guided in the right direction.”

He did not explain how that would happen.

Shortly after Trump's speech, Mulino released a video announcing that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to his country.”

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed the president-elect's complaints about the rising costs of canal crossings, saying they were set by experts who take into account operating costs, as well as supply and demand factors.

“Taxes are not set on a whim,” said Mulino. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase shipping “on its own,” adding that increased shipping fees help pay for the development.

“Panamanians may have different opinions on many issues,” Mulino said. “But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.”

Outside the trenches, Trump's appearance at Turning Point's annual rally confirmed the growing influence the group and its founder, Charlie Kirk, have in the conservative movement. Kirk's organization has employed thousands of campaigners across the presidential battlegrounds, helping Trump make significant gains among conservative voters and other demographic groups that have leaned heavily on the Democratic Alliance in recent decades, including young voters, black men and Latino men.

“You have troops on the ground at Turning Point,” Trump said. “It's not my victory, it's your victory.”

Also on Sunday, Trump said Stephen Miran, who worked at the Treasury Department during Trump's first term, was his choice to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. He also announced his choice of capitalist Scott Kupor to serve as director of the Office of Personnel Management, the state's main labor agency.

And Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt announced he would donate $1.1 million to Trump's first fund to match the $14 million he said he had given to the executive political committee Make America Great Again Inc. – making him one of the president's top donors.

Pratt is chairman of Pratt Industries, which uses recycled paper and cardboard as raw materials in a process that produces new cardboard.

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Weissert reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.