What's New
President-elect Donald Trump's proposals for the U.S. to take control of the Panama Canal have gained an unlikely supporter: vocal Trump critic Meghan McCain.
The political commentator said that Trump was right on the issue and said that her support for his rhetoric was "personal" due to her father, John McCain, being born in the region.
Newsweek contacted the Trump transition team for comment on this story via email.
Why It Matters
Meghan McCain has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, refusing to vote for him in the 2024 election despite her Republican background. This is reflective of her father's relationship with Trump, as John McCain frequently frustrated Trump's legislative agenda while serving as a Senator for Arizona.
However, Meghan McCain's support for Trump's approach to the Panama Canal signifies a change in tone as the President-elect gears up for his return to the White House in January 2025.
What To Know
On Saturday, Trump described the Panama Canal as a "complete rip-off" and demanded that Panama, which has controlled the waterway since 1999, lower tariffs on U.S. ships passing through the canal.
Trump also threatened that "we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," if his demands were not met. The Panamanian president,
José Raúl Mulino, responded by saying that "every square meter of the Panama Canal" would remain under Panamanian control.
Prior to 1999, the canal was jointly run by U.S. and Panamanian authorities, before a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 ensured the eventual transfer of management.
Around 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year, according to figures compiled by Statista. The narrow route, first opened by the U.S. in 1914, allows cargo vessels to travel between the American continents rather than having to circumnavigate them, reducing transit times.
What People Are Saying
Meghan McCain said on X (formerly Twitter): "Trump is right about the Panama Canal. This is very personal - my dad was born in the Panama Canal Zone."
President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop... 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."
Panama President José Raúl Mulino said: "The tariffs are not set on a whim but based on expert assessments of operational costs and market dynamics."
"China does not control or administer the canal. When it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag."
What Happens Next
Trump is expected to put an "America First" approach to foreign policy at the heart of his incoming administration, which will return to the White House in January 2025. It is unclear whether he will pursue any further action against Panama.
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