Trump: Panama will lose control of Canal if it continues to ‘rip-off’ the US

Ummmm..... can he do that?

It’s okay, just go around.

Eh.

[quote] The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for its handover to Panama in 1977. After a period of joint American–Panamanian control, the Panamanian government took control in 1999. It is now managed and operated by the Panamanian government-owned Panama Canal Authority.

Mye canal eez deep and wide too. He no pay me enough either.

He would be invading another sovereign country if he tried to take it over.

Carter didn’t “foolishly” give it to the Panamanians. That was the deal when the US first built it

We need some American anschluss...Canada and the Panama Canal Zone here we come!

All this sabre-rattling is rather tiresome.

This man is just not serious and delusional that people and countries are not seeing through his bluster. He read about Teddy Roosevelt but got the strategy wrong -- correctly it's: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

It's NOT:L "Speak loudly and carry a tiny schlong."

It will only serve the Chinese who want to build and of course CONTROL another Canal (less likely to be affected by the drought plaguing the Panama Canal lately) to be built with Ortega’s help through Nicaragua.

Plus, even the maximum $300,000 toll is a bargain considering the alternative. Got any idea what the cost of fuel, upkeep, crew costs and insurance (not to mention time) would be going around South America for a month instead?

Trump? STOOPID. Again.

America? STOOPIDER. Again.

[quote] He would be invading another sovereign country if he tried to take it over.

[quote] Carter didn’t “foolishly” give it to the Panamanians. That was the deal when the US first built it

Ah, so then it would basically be a declaration of war.

Got it.

Declaring war is so 1941

The man bankrupted his own casinos. How could this go wrong?

He's not even in office yet. Someone will get fed up and you know what.

Bigger men have fallen. Well, not size wise.

The Moron Doctrine.

Invading sovereign nations is the new black.

Fuck me -- I've already done all the paperwork and I'm leaving for Panama next week to apply for my Pensionada Visa.

Perhaps after I get back I should do the same thing with Ecuador. You don't think Trump wants Ecuador for anything, do you?

Haha he's following you around, SL.

Btw, what are the rules to obtain a Pensionada Visa?

I could definitely live in Panama. It's very Americanized, and nearly everyone there speaks some English.

Shit man go to Panama. After the take over they will be looking for yanks to help run the canal.

I'm sorry, R21 -- it's Pensionado Visa.

I attached info from the Embassy, but there are many other places to look for more details. It takes awhile to get all the paperwork together, but with the right lawyer in Panama, you can your paperwork officially submitted in a week (so they say).

Of course, once the paperwork is processed in Panama (2-6 months) and they issue your Visa, you have to go to Panama City to pick it up (or you can simply stay in Panama until it is issued). Then you can either stay in Panama or come back. In order to keep the Visa current, all you have to do is go back to Panama once every two years and get your passport stamped.

Americans want to feel good about themselves. That’s why they elected Trump like Reagan. He will lie to them. Democrats spend all day telling us how evil we are. Americans will no longer vote for that. All Republicans need to do is talk bullshit. They’re doing this in the UK, prattling on as if they’re still the great empire.

Fuck -- forgot the link.

Thanks, SL!

This will be fun to watch while his thugs continue looking all over the world for similar ‘’shit shows of force’’.

He’s such a nut. Does he really think the Panamanians aren’t going to see this is all the bluff of a buffoon?

I’m done listening to this buffoon. He doesn’t mean 99 percent of what he says. He’s just doing this for shock value and to keep his enormous ass in the news.

Are the “Meet Me in St. Louis” bangs a seasonal choice?

R29, he probably wants Panama to “invest” some money with him or Jared. Every week he’ll spin the globe and choose a random country to shake down.

Today, Panama; tomorrow, Greenland!

T-Rump is blowing his rhetorical wad before he's even inaugurated. In this case he's just trying to get ahead of Musk's "support the Neo-Nazis" tweet; Musk will probably try to outdo him tonight or tomorrow with some even more appalling opinion. By Jan. 20 people will already be tired of the hoopla and chaos.

Drunk Larry Kudlow agrees that Greenland is a strategic place, got a lotta valuable minerals. *hic* 🍾🍷🍸🍹🍺🍻🥂🥃😵

Right, Chuck Tohhh? (Speaking to Dana Perino)

Will be fun to watch

Didn't we go through this with Reagan.

Panamania, that's what it is...

R35, it’s amazing what you can forget. The U.S. actually invaded Panama in 1989. We were right there, we could have seized the canal or some such thing but we didn’t. So that moment passed. No do-over invasions. We have other things to focus on.

I looked it up. I had forgotten we got rid of Manuel Noriega. Why did I think that was in El Salvador or Nicaragua?

[Quote] It’s called the start of making the deal not the start of an invasion.

And if Panama won’t deal, Trump will invade it?

I bet you $1 Trump thinks the Panama Canal is in Mexico.

Damn, you're cheap, R40!

I'll up that to $50.

[quote]Mye canal eez deep and wide too.

And has had as many sailors inside of it.

Does he understand HISTORY? Does he understand ANYTHING AT ALL.

R43 talk about not knowing history or recent history we have DL members giving insight on this very thread and they did not even remember the US invaded Panama just a few short years ago.

Love the caps they show such energy

[quote] the US invaded Panama just a few short years ago

Trust a DL eldergay to think of 35 years ago as "just a few short years ago."

[quote]they did not even remember the US invaded Panama just a few short years ago

You think 1989 is just a "few short years ago"? You know that was 35 years ago? Jesus-- I'm in my mid-60s, and I think that was a long time ago! Imagine how you would feel if you were [bold]born[/bold] in 1989!

Anyway, if you want to watch a documentary made by Panamanians about the building of the Panama Canal, I attached a link. It's on a Panamanian version of Pluto, Tubi, etc. and I found it very enlightening. It's called Caja 25 -- give it a try! BTW, there are English subtitles. [Hope the link works.]

Well, looky here—it might just be that Trump's obsession with Panama isn't totally coming out of the blue.

R46 if I was born in 1989 and did not know American history at all you mean?

Don’t people who argue about American history know something about that history?

A failure of our educational system if so.

This shit is sad. He should never be president. The US did not relinquish power to Panama. The Panama Canal is not a fucking military installation. He is so fucking dangerous and dishonest. But I doubt even a GOP controlled Congress will allow him to do this. The only way to actual accomplish this is to essentially declare war on a sovereign nation because that is the only gesture equivalent of reclaiming ownership. We never “owned” the Canal; we just were in charge it while it was being built. And I bet MAGA will justify this dangerous rhetoric saying it’s a power play to lower prices. Well if actually lower a prices than good. Because the end always justifies the means right?

That fucker! I guess Panama's on his revenge list. Thanks, R47.

This turd...

Another reason the shoot the cunt. Is this Manifest Destiny at play?

[quote]We never “owned” the Canal; we just were in charge it while it was being built.

No, it wasn't as simple as that. The US had complete control and jurisdiction over the land around the canal, called the "Canal Zone." That's is why there was a treaty giving control back to Panama. Hell, read about the January 9th holiday coming up, Martyr's Day. Being controlled by the US was not something Panamanians were happy about. Twenty-two Panamanians gave their lives to get it back.

Great film based on a John le Carré novel about an almost American invasion of Panama starring DL favorite Jamie Lee Curtis. Directed by John Boorman.

The fat bastard is not going to take over a damn thing. This is just more of his bilious bloviating. Saying what the goobers, nitwits and morons who voted for him love to hear. They couldn't care less if he never makes good on his threats. With them it's quantity over quality when it what comes out of Trump's pie hole.

[quote]Today, Panama; tomorrow, Greenland!

Indeed:

It shouldn't have been built. Go around the straight of Magellan.

Trump has no intention of doing anything except to run his mouth.

This is all part of Bannon’s “Flood the zone” (the “news” zone, not the Canal Zone) “with shit” strategy wherein some new turd is floated in the news every day to distract the press and public.

The Republican Party has a choice. Roll over or grow a spine. Elmo thinks he can fund primary opponents if recalcitrant R’s resist. I’m not sure how smart it is to threaten people who can investigate you, your businesses, your behavior and how you are said to have obtained residency by less than legal means.

Panama is corrupt as fuck. The Panama papers. Trump needs to focus on stopping the money laundering in these countries.

Trump seems to hate capitalism

He’s a Commie!

R59 "Trump needs to focus on stopping the money laundering in these countries. "

Trump himself is heavily involved in money laundering. All those loans he got from Deutsche Bank over the years were collateralized mostly by shell companies with majority beneficial ownership by Russian assets.

[Quote] Panama is corrupt as fuck. The Panama papers. Trump needs to focus on stopping the money laundering in these countries.

So he can do all the laundering for the Russians especially

[quote] Trump needs to focus on stopping the money laundering in these countries.

Bwahahahahaha!

[quote]The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop….”

[quote]Panama charges tariffs for boats and ships to pass through its canal. Fees vary based on the size and purpose of vessels, and the charges range from as low as $0.50 to as high as $300,000.

Ohhhhhh, so tariffs are BAD now, huh?

[quote] Hours after suggesting he would seize the Panama Canal, Trump says he wants Greenland, too

President-elect Donald Trump has resurfaced an old position of his, that the US should take over Greenland, just hours after also threatening to take over the Panama Canal.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that "for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

He made the comments in a post announcing the PayPal cofounder Ken Howery as his choice for US Ambassador to Denmark.

Greenland, the world's largest island, is an autonomous dependent territory of Denmark, which is a US ally and NATO member.

Trump's pronouncement came just hours after he threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, the man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that "the fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US."

He added, "This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop."

In a separate post, Trump wrote: "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!" he added.

The US transferred control of the canal to the Panama Canal Authority in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

Panama charges fees for each vessel going through the canal, making it an important economic driver for the country.

Greenland, too, has strategic value. In addition to its own natural resources, it has proximity to the Arctic, where countries such as Russia are vying to gain resources and control.

Trump expressed an interest in the US buying Greenland in 2019, during his first term in office. Greenland's government quickly rejected the idea, saying that it wasn't for sale.

[quote]Go around the straight of Magellan.

Oh, dear.

My Daddy was born in the Canal Zone!

Just like when he was POTUS before, he thinks the federal government money is his personal stash.

This greasy turd needs to be flushed.

For a thrilling old seafaring adventure story, read "Two Years Before the Mast" - an account of sailing the Strait of Magellan.

T'rump deserves to walk the plank.

He is an out of his mind Capitalist who is totally transactional.

[quote] This is all part of Bannon’s “Flood the zone” (the “news” zone, not the Canal Zone) “with shit” strategy

And guess where they learned that tactic, RUSSIA! This whole republican tactic of spreading wild lie after wild lie was taught to several members of Congress years ago when they went to Russia. Tell the idiots a lie enough times and they'll eventually believe it, no matter how crazy it is.

Trump is pulling shit, HOPING that we get attacked for his bullshit.

Then goodbye USA, and Trump owns us all as slaves.

All he does is bloviate and you guys eat it up. I know he’s soon to be our elected representative, but that doesn’t mean we have to post every stupid fucking thing he says here.

Jesus, some of us need a break.

I just heard today the toll is 500k per trip! It's gone up big time, the original canal plan was through Mexico further north, now Mexico wants to restart it, along with a separate rail transport across too, Mexico has money now.

Seizing old and new trade routes for Xi and Putin, huh?

Fucking buffoon. I seriously doubt he can make this happen.

Man, he is really going to destroy our goodwill with the rest of the world and quick. If you think this wasn't a co-ordinated plan with Russia and the theocrats hiding in the GOP and SCOTUS, you still aren't paying attention. This was all in Project 2025.

Apparently the Panama threat was only to warn off China from its incursions into the Western hemisphere, according to this morning's WaPo.

R78, what a great idea. Let’s keep threatening our allies, that will send a message to China . . . that Central America is ripe for the taking.

Hah, r76, I was just about to post the very same tweet.

[quote] Let’s keep threatening our allies, that will send a message to China

If he's doing this as a "fuck you" to china, then I'm okay with it.

I fucking hate china.

He thinks Panama will lose control of the canal like he loses control of his bowels.

How is it a “fuck you” to a China that wants to build another canal next door?

They knew Trump was mentally ill. They knew he was mentally incompetent. And they put him in charge of the world's second biggest nuclear arsenal. Americans really want to destroy our world.

More chaos politics.

Trump is just testing the attention level of Americans.

He will not b disappointed.

We should take back the Canal and make Panama a US Territory.

[quote] We should take back the Canal and make Panama a US Territory.

That would really screw over Senior Lesbian and her plans to escape the US, by moving to Panama!

Guess who supports Trump? Because of course. R67 called it.

I heard on NPR today that Panamanians are protesting in front of the American Embassy because of this Trump bullshit. Maybe I should get that German flag patch I have and sew it on my knapsack.

I feel that in 2025 Trump culture will collapse.

Yeah, good luck with that R90. I didn’t think he’d win another election either.

Also, let’s say the US takes control of the Panama Canal. What does that mean? Do we go to war with Panama to get it?

I don't think many American kids in the military will want to go to war to capture Panama, of all places. It will be this generation's Vietnam.

r13 So Trumps whole bragging schtick that the US never goes to war on his watch is now flushed down the toilet.

He wants the money for himself.

This man will never, ever, no matter if Musk's DOGE saves a trillion dollars, use a penny to improve the lives of futures or environment or housing or education of Americans.

Not ONE RED CENT. Damned to Hell be those who thought and think otherwise to vote for this monster, this cretin, this destroyer, this Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies.

Panama and Greenland are proven chaos diversions.

Trump will be building up the "invasion forces" while he is loading up American gold for Swiss Ambassador Callista Gingrich to receive it in Switzerland for deposit with the UBS.

This is what you get when America elects an asshole as President who doesn't give a damn about the country or its allies. Now we get this:

[quote]Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy chanting "Trump, animal, leave the canal alone" and "Get out invading gringo," as about 20 police officers guarded the compound. Some in the crowd carried banners reading "Donald Trump, public enemy of Panama."

Hilariously, the article photo is actually a "Fuck Trump" sign they're burning. I can agree with that sentiment, of course. We know he's not going to do a damn thing about the Panama Canal, but he just talks out of his ass and gives foreigners' more reasons to hate America, even though the sane among us don't want to fuck with Panama or Greenland or other random place he couldn't find on a globe.

Prepare yourself for more of this bullshit over the next four years because January 20th, 2025 is right around the corner.

And his stupid followers are dumb enough to believe he has the power to just do all these things on his own, without any oversight by Congress.