Colombia's far-left President Gustavo Petro on Sunday warned President-elect Donald Trump that if the United States takes control of the Panama Canal, he will side with neighboring Panama “until the final outcome is reached.”
Petro, former member Marxist M19 The guerrilla terrorist organization and Colombia's first leftist president is known for his violent and often outrageous statements. abusive language via his personal Twitter account.
Colombia's president criticized President Trump on social media Sunday afternoon. discussion President-elect Donald Trump's comments on the Panama Canal came after he said the United States should take back control of the vital trade route it built, citing “exorbitant” transit fees imposed on the United States. explained As a “rip-off”:
“I will support Panama and the defense of its sovereignty to the end,” Petro's message said. “If America's new government wants to discuss business, we will discuss business face-to-face for the benefit of our people, but dignity will never be negotiated.”
Panama and its neighbor Colombia are home to the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle trail shared by both countries and the only land bridge connecting Central and South America. Since 2021, hundreds of thousands of U.S.-bound migrants have passed through the Darien Valley on their way to the U.S. southern border. The amount of migrants reportedly passing through the Darien Gap dropped There was a significant increase in November following the results of the 2024 US presidential election.
Mr. Petro continued his tirade against Mr. Trump, saying that if he doesn't want the “countless” number of people passing through the Darien Ditch “increasing by the millions from Panama to Mexico,” the next president must “make mistakes and self-destruct.” “It's a contradiction,” he said. Petro said President Trump “needs to understand that the prosperity and freedom of our people depends on it.”
“If it costs more to get the Panama Canal into Panamanian hands, it will be much more expensive to impoverish Panama, South America, Central America and Mexico,” Petro said.
“If they don't want us to stay in the United States, then we must ensure that all of America thrives in the dignity of independence, freedom, and democracy,” he concluded.
The Panama Canal was completed by the United States in 1914 and remained under U.S. control until 1999, under the terms of a 1977 agreement signed by the two countries under the administration of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Trump: “When President Jimmy Carter foolishly handed it out for $1 during his term, only Panama was in charge of it, not China or anyone else.'' I wrote At Truth Social this weekend. “Panama likewise could not afford to charge exorbitant prices and tolls to the United States, its navy, and companies doing business in the country.”
“Our Navy and Department of Commerce have been treated very unfairly and unjustly. The fees Panama charges are ludicrous, especially given the extraordinary generosity the United States has given Panama. This complete 'rip-off' of will be stopped immediately,” he continued.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, who took office in July, responded to Trump's remarks via a video posted on social media shortly thereafter, saying, “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama. It remains Panama's property.” “It belongs to Panama,” he said, stressing that Panama's sovereignty over the trade route is “irreversible.”
Additionally, Mulino said the canal's tolls are set “not on a whim” but “in a public manner and at public hearings, taking into account market conditions, international competition, operating costs, and the needs of the maintenance and modernization of the interoceanic waterway.” He claimed that it was.
In December, Mr. Mulino publicly asked President-elect Trump and Panama signed a deal with outgoing US administration Joe Biden to maintain a US-funded deportation flight agreement that went into effect in July.
