The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump used a Phoenix rally on Dec. 22, 2024, to suggest that the United States might try to regain control of the Panama Canal, a line that immediately turned a campaign-style crowd-pleaser into a live diplomatic flare-up. Trump, then president-elect, told supporters the canal had been “foolishly” handed over and complained about shipping fees tied to its use. The remarks were not a formal policy rollout, but they were direct enough to draw an instant answer from Panama.

Panama’s response came from President José Raúl Mulino, who rejected the suggestion in an official statement and video message the same day. His message was simple: the canal belongs to Panama, and there would be no negotiation over its ownership. That left little room for ambiguity about how Panama read Trump’s comments — not as leverage, but as a challenge to sovereignty.

The canal remains one of the most consequential transit routes in global trade, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and shortening the shipping distance around South America. It has been under Panamanian control since the transfer of authority completed in 1999 under the Panama Canal treaties, and that status is not something a U.S. president can reverse with a speech. Trump’s comments did not change the canal’s legal status, but they did revive an old and sensitive issue in U.S.-Panama relations.

For Trump, the episode fit a familiar pattern: turn a complex foreign-policy question into a blunt claim of unfairness, then present himself as the only figure willing to force the issue. For Panama, it was a reminder that a stray line on a rally stage can still land as a serious matter of national sovereignty. The canal is an economic asset, a strategic route and a political symbol. On Dec. 22, Trump treated it like a grievance. Panama answered like a country protecting its borders.