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Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s suggestion that the United States could take control of the Panama Canal by defending his country’s “sovereign territory” in a defiant video.

With a month left to go before he officially takes office, the soon-to-be president blasted the “rip-off” of the “ridiculous” transit fees charged to U.S. vessels to use the vital commerce transit waterway, also stating that it should never be allowed to fall into the “wrong hands” in an apparent reference to communist China.

On Sunday, Mulino hit back in a video posted to X, in which he strongly rejected Trump’s remarks, insisting that the charges are fair and that the ownership of the Panama Canal is “not negotiable.”

“I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue to,” Mulino declared.

“The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable. Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest,” he continued.

“The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power,” Mulino said. “As a Panamanian, I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.”

“Panama respects other nations and demands respect,” the Panamanian leader added.

“Rates are not a whim,” Mulino also said. “They are established publicly and in an open hearing, taking into account market conditions, international competition, operating costs, and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic route.”

Trump fired back in a pair of Sunday posts to Truth Social.

“We’ll see about that!” Trump said.

“Welcome to the United States Canal!” Trump wrote in another post, sharing an image of the American flag flying over the Canal.

Trump also addressed the Panama Canal during his speech at the Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, AZ on Sunday.

“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” he told the crowd.

“….The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood,” the newly elected president wrote in a Saturday post to Truth Social. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama.”

“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!” Trump said.

Chris Donaldson
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