Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her support for the government of Panama after the US President-elect threatened Donald Trump Sunday to restore US control of the Panama Canal. “In fact, the Panama Canal belongs to the Panamanians,” Sheinbaum said during a press conference.
Sheinbaum’s statement came one day after Trump accused Panama of imposing excessive fees to use the canal, while speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona.
And he wrote Trump On his platform Truth Social, “Our navy and our trade are being treated unfairly (…) The tariffs imposed by Panama are ridiculous.” He added: “This plunder of our country will stop immediately.”
Trump posted on his own platform, Truth Social, a picture of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, accompanied by his comment, “Welcome to the United States!”
The Panamanian President denounces Trump’s statements
Panama President Jose Raul Molino was quick to denounce Trump’s comments. “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will remain its property,” he said in a statement on the X social media platform.
Control of the Panama Canal, which the United States completed in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama assumed full control in 1999.
