What happened
President-elect Donald Trump threatened Sunday to retake control of the Panama Canal and said that U.S. "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for "national security and freedom." The U.S. handed control of the canal to Panama in 1999, after agreeing to do so in 1977 treaties. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Who said what
Trump's comments about the Panama Canal, elaborating on a social media post Saturday, came "atop a list of grievances — some old, some new" — he aired at a conservative conference in Phoenix. "We're being ripped off at the Panama Canal," he claimed, saying the U.S. "foolishly gave it away" and if the "moral and legal principles" of America's "magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States."
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded in a video on X that "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so," and "the sovereignty and independence of our country aren't negotiable." Trump hit back on social media: "We'll see about that!"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It was "unclear why Trump has focused on the vital shipping passage in recent days," Politico said. "Panama has been a steady ally" for decades and the conservative Mulino took office in August pledging to "deepen ties with the United States." When Trump suggested purchasing Greenland in his first term, "he was publicly rebuffed by Danish authorities before any conversations could take place," Reuters said.
What next?
Trump's comments "signal that he will pursue a confrontational foreign-policy agenda" featuring "unconventional threats and pointed demands," The Wall Street Journal said. "Short of an invasion," though, "the U.S. government has no ability to restore control of the canal."
-
How astronaut Jim Lovell 'inspired generations'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to ChinaSpeed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
The push for a progressive mayor has arrived in SeattleThe Explainer Two liberals will face off in this November's election
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crimeSpeed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
DHS preps for major ICE expansion, rankling local law enforcementIN THE SPOTLIGHT As the Trump administration positions ICE as the primary federal police force, its recruitment efforts have been met with a less-than-enthusiastic response
-
JD Vance rises as MAGA heir apparentIN THE SPOTLIGHT The vice president is taking an increasingly proactive role in a MAGA movement roiled by scandal and anxious about a post-Trump future
-
Congress should 'step in' to block Trump's White House ballroom makeoverInstant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additionsSpeed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
Eighty years after Hiroshima: how close is nuclear conflict?Today's Big Question Eight decades on from the first atomic bomb 'we have blundered into a new age of nuclear perils'
-
Epstein: A boon for Democrats?Feature Democrats' push to release the Epstein files splits the GOP, sending the House into an early summer recess
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oilSpeed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
