In Inaugural Address, Trump Pledges to Take Back Panama Canal

 

In his inaugural address on Monday, President Donald Trump devoted more than a minute to his pledge to take the Panama Canal back from Panamanian control. In response, Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino, an American-trained maritime lawyer and anti-migration conservative, reiterated that the Canal belongs to Panama. 

"The Canal is and will continue to be Panama's and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality," Mulino said. "For 25 years, without interruption, we have managed and expanded it responsibly to serve the world and its commerce, including the United States."

France and the U.S. built the original canal at the turn of the last century, at the cost of an estimated 300 American lives. About 25,000 foreign laborers perished as well, including roughly 20,000 who died of injury and disease during the French phase of project management. After the U.S. government secured Panama's independence from Colombia and won control of the canal zone in 1903, the project was completed under the Army Corps of Engineers' management. The first ship passed through in 1914, and the canal was administered by American forces until its final transfer to local control in 1999. 

A Panamanian-financed and -built upgrade, the "New Panama Canal," was completed in 2016 and now accounts for the majority of Canal Zone revenue. In 2023, the older American-built section delivered about 45 percent of total Canal Zone earnings. Both are operated by the Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP), a division of the Panamanian government.

In his inaugural address Monday, Trump claimed that "China is operating the Panama Canal" and promised that "we're taking it back." He praised the territorial-expansion programs of President William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, and painted a picture of a proud America that would once again grow into other territories. 

"The United States, I mean, think of this, spent more money than ever spent on a project before and lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal," said Trump. "The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. . . . The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth [and] expands our territory."