Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) on Thursday criticized President-elect Trump for saying the United States should take control of the Panama Canal and buy Greenland.
“Suggesting that we're going to send troops to Panama to take back the Panama Canal is just ridiculous,” Wasserman Schultz said in a CNN appearance Thursday.
“We have an agreement with Panama. We have a free trade agreement with Panama,” she added.
“We're not going to take back the Panama Canal any more than Panama is going to invade and take the Mississippi River from us.”
Over the past week, President Trump has repeatedly said that control of the Panama Canal, which has been in Panama's hands since the 1970s, should be returned to the United States, complaining about “exorbitant prices,” and saying the United States “has been cheated.” “There is,” he said.
“The fees Panama charges are ridiculous, especially given the extraordinary generosity the United States has given Panama,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Trump also said ownership of Greenland is “absolutely necessary” for the United States
Officials in Panama and Greenland strongly oppose the idea.
Wasserman Schultz called the statements about both regions “ridiculous threats from carnival barkers.”
He said Trump's proposed fair price for the Panama Canal would only benefit the billionaires around him.
“What Donald Trump is really trying to do here is try to lower the toll for his corporate allies and billionaires,” she said. “The bottom line is this. And it's ridiculous.”
The Florida Democrat also criticized Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, whom President Trump nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Panama.
The Florida lawmaker described him as another candidate with a “poor resume” who “worships” the former president.
