On Saturday, Donald Trump called for American ships to pass free of charge through the Panama and Suez Canals and asked his foreign affairs chief, Marco Rubio, to address this issue “immediately.”
After months of expressing his desire to control the Panama Canal, the former U.S. president now targets the Suez Canal, another key route for global trade.
“American ships, both military and commercial, should be allowed to transit freely via the Panama and Suez Canals. These canals wouldn’t exist without the United States of America,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He added, “I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take this matter in hand.”
Even before taking office on January 20, Trump had increased pressure on Panama, threatening to “retake” the canal which was built by the U.S., inaugurated in 1914, and remained under American sovereignty until 1999.
Panama regained control of the canal that year under a 1977 treaty with President Jimmy Carter. The U.S. and China are the canal’s main users, facilitating 5% of global maritime trade.
In early April, Washington received permission from Panama to deploy U.S. military forces around this strategic waterway.
Controlled by Egypt since 1956, the Suez Canal handled about 10% of global maritime trade until recent Houthi rebel attacks on vessels, purportedly in “solidarity” with Palestinians in Gaza.
