Forget it, he’s rolling.
Wasn’t it a limited-time deal that gave the US control of the Canal Zone in the first place, and that time just came up during Carter’s term?
The US has a national interest in a working Panama canal. Luckily so do the Panamanians. Indeed, they expanded the canal a decade ago to accommodate bigger container ships. Then drought struck, limiting the number of ships that could transit. So they raised rates from half a million to 1 million. Then they decided to just auction off slots, and let the free market decide what to do. Shippers could always use the US land route or Tierra Del Fuego if they weren’t willing to bid more than other shippers.
Rates for a big container ship are now up to $1.5 million, and shippers are whining. Apparently one of them caught Trump’s ear. All this shows that conservative love for the free market is highly qualified.
A rather fanciful Plan B has long been in the making:
Can you dig it? I knew that you could.
Why do I get the sense that Trump worries about the stupidest things?
So Trump wants the government to control the price of goods and services instead of the free market?
I could swear there’s a word for that kind of economic model.
And I wonder who he knows that might have an interest in cutting the cost of shipping, let’s say, Chinese electronic auto components to factories located in, let’s say, Texas or something…
For a context more resembling reality, more (most) Americans when told that Carter gave Panama control of the Panama Canal way back in 1977 react thusly: “Who gave what to who??”, and then go on with their lives.
Here I thought he was supposed to be the First Lady.
If Trump did try to forcibly seize the Panama Canal in a war, what would the repercussions be? Since he supports the Russians in their invasion of Ukraine, would he use that to justify his invasion of Panama? (It’s OK for one nation to invade another?) How would other nations react?
What if the Panama government blew up the locks?
I would assume Trump is more interested in lining his pockets with the fees the ships pay to get through it a lot more than any military strategy. IIRC, that can be anywhere from a few thousand to well over a hundred thousand (depending on size) per ship.
Also, he’d have the ability, or assume he’d have the ability to hold the canal hostage for one reason or another.
He’d make Mexico pay to fix them? /s
I think part of what’s driving it is that the Chinese government now has a contract with the Panama government to operate the ports at each end.
Were those contracts entered into while Trump was president? I wonder why he didn’t care about the canal back then. Oh, who am I kidding? He didn’t even know about it until last week.
Trump routinely spouts crazy stuff when he wants the news cycle to move on from his cock-ups. In this case, he’s trying to paper over the fact that he and Musk almost blundered into a governmental shutdown, due to intemperate remarks and incompetent negotiation.
Yup, China’s growing influence on the canal has been a concern for the US for years, his response to the issue is insane.
Here’s a useful article outlining the concerns expressed by some American commentators (non-crazy types).
The article makes the point that the Canal has considerable economic value to the United States and its economy, so it may not be military strategy that is in play. Plus, China spying.
“a man, a plan, a canal, what was I talking about?”
No. Carter’s administration negotiated a treaty that started the process in 1977 finally ending in with Panama’s full control of the canal in 1999.
Not really. It was a huge deal back then. I think you are misremembering it.
And for even MORE historical context, the canal zone & control of the canal was given to the United States by Panama in exchange for US support of their declaring independence from Colombia in 1903. So it wasn’t ever “stolen” from Panama.
So if I’ve got this right, Trump’s foreign policy agenda is;
- Reconquista of the Canal Zone
- Annex Canada
- Buy Greenland whether Denmark wants to sell it or not
- Bomb Mexico and declare its citizens an invading army
- “Unleash all hell” on anyone supporting Hamas
- No new wars
Am I forgetting anything?
Bomb Puerto Rico with paper towels.