‘Absolute necessity’: Trump raises concerns over Panama Canal, says Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump He suggested on Wednesday that the US could seize control of Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal, an unexpected Christmas Day message that has raised concerns among world leaders in recent days as they scramble to prepare for Trump’s second term in the White House.

In a Wednesday post on the Truth Social platform, Trump wished a “Merry Christmas to everyone,” including the “wonderful soldiers of China, who lovingly, but illegally, operate the Panama Canal,” before passing to point to Canada. and so did Greenland, again suggesting that it might be better off under US rule.

Trump reiterated his claim that American shippers are being forced to pay “ridiculous” and “exorbitant” prices for sailing through the Panama Canal, a 51-mile man-made waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He has suggested, without evidence, that Chinese interests are gaining enormous influence over the waterway, something Panamanian leaders have flatly denied.

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In his Social Truth post on Wednesday, Trump also mockingly referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “the governor” and reiterated his recent suggestion that Canada should become a US state.

“If Canada became our 51st state, its taxes would be cut by more than 60%, its businesses would immediately double in size, and it would be militarily protected like no other country in the world,” Trump said.

Finally, the president-elect turned his attention to Greenland; a self-contained, geographically significant arctic site full of natural resources, including rare earth minerals.

The US, Trump said on Wednesday, “feels ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for reasons of national security and “global freedom”.

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Trump’s lengthy Social Truth post did little to assuage the concerns of some world leaders, who have been watching Trump’s actions and statements carefully in recent weeks for clues about how he might govern in a second term.

Observations also seem to disagree with “America First” policies. Trump, who has long sought to prioritize domestic politics over US expansion or presence abroad.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., echoed Trump’s concerns in an interview on Thursday, describing China’s influence in the Panama Canal, and the higher prices incurred by shippers, as a “shot across the bow”.

“Remember we have China and Cuba,” Zinke said on “Mornings with Maria.“ “We have Maduro in Venezuela. We’ve had Russian ships there. And the Panama Canal is critical to our national security. And right now, it’s run by the Chinese Communist Party. So it’s a concern, absolutely.”

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It is certainly not the first time that Trump has shown interest in Greenland, a territory rich in minerals and geographically important.

In 2019, then-President Trump told reporters he was “interested” in buying Greenland, which he described at the time as “essentially” a “big real estate deal.” However, the 2019 effort never gained traction; and this week Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede immediately poured cold water on the idea that his territory could be sold to the US

“Greenland is ours,” Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said this week in response to Trump’s suggestion.

“We are not for sale and we will never be for sale,” he said. “We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

Meanwhile, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino also questioned the idea that US ships have been selected or paid higher fees to transit the Panama Canal, as well as the idea that the US, which is phasing out its property from the 1970s, they have some right. to reassert control over the shipping waypoint.

In a video posted on social media earlier this week, Mulino assured the people of his country that “the sovereignty and independence of our country are non-negotiable.”

The Panama Canal is one of the largest and most strategically important waterways for the transport of goods in the world. It handles approximately 5% of all global maritime trade and approximately 40% of US container ship traffic.

The recent price increase is primarily the result of drought and increased competition, which caused water levels to plummet last year to their lowest point on record. Although water levels have since recovered, canal operators were forced to temporarily limit vessel traffic and increase costs for vessels using the waypoint.

Other factors have also played a role in rising shipping prices.

A series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea late last year caused many major commodity carriers, including BP and Equinor, to disrupt or divert their shipments away from the Suez Canal. Some chose to reroute supplies via the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks of extra time to their journeys.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, incorrectly claimed on social media last week that the Panama Canal cost US taxpayers $15.7 billion. In fact, the biggest costs are borne by ships passing through the waterway, in the form of tolls. The channel is not subsidized by the US government.

‘AMERICA FIRST’ VS. ‘AMERICA LAST’: WHAT DOES TRUMP’S RETURN MEAN FOR US FOREIGN POLICY?

Panamanian authorities have stressed that the prices are not the result of “unfair” treatment, nor capitulation to China or any other nation-state influence.

“The channel is not directly or indirectly controlled by China, the European Union, the United States or any other power,” Mulino said in his remarks. “As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.”

Still, Trump doesn’t appear to be backing down on expansionist claims.

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“The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL national asset for the United States, because of its critical role in the economy and national security of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “A secure Panama Canal is crucial to U.S. trade and the Navy’s rapid deployment from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and dramatically reduces shipping times to U.S. ports.”

“We will not stand for it,” he said. “So to the officials of Panama, please guide yourselves accordingly.”