cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/23416568

Summary

Donald Trump criticized Panama Canal fees as “ridiculous” and demanded lower costs or the canal’s return to the US.

In a Truth Social post, Trump also expressed concern about potential Chinese influence over the waterway, despite no direct Chinese control of canal operations.

The canal, transferred to Panama in 1999, is vital for global trade, handling 5% of maritime traffic.

Trump’s comments follow record revenues of $5 billion announced by the Panama Canal Authority. Panama has not yet responded to his statements.

  • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    63
    ·
    edit-2
    5 hours ago

    Panama has not yet responded to his statements.

    Hopefully they just ignore him. And hopefully other countries start doing that too.

    No government ahould be compelled to respond to Truth Social posts.

    • futatorius@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 hour ago

      No civilized person should be compelled to listen to Trump’s whiny gob.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.comOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      21
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 hours ago

      Yeah, best case scenario is that the rest of the world starts to consciously uncouple from the US, taking away the ability of the incoming fascist government to strongarm “allies” into doing and saying everything they want or suffer financial and diplomatic ruin.

      • futatorius@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 hour ago

        It’s already happening. If Trump attempts to go Neville Chamberlain on Ukraine, the Europeans (at least a large group of them) are willing to tell him to fuck off.

      • kbal@fedia.io
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        4 hours ago

        They probably can’t afford to double the fees for everyone, their canal would be out of business. But double the fees only for American-flagged vessels might be feasible.

        • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          4 hours ago

          It’s my understanding the canal is already almost out of business because they don’t have enough water. They limit travel through the canal to avoid emptying Lake Gatun.

        • stephen01king@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 hours ago

          As long as the fees as still lower than the cost to go around South America, I’m sure they’ll still have business.

  • Pringles@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    113
    ·
    6 hours ago

    In other words: he was playing golf with some shipping magnate who complained about the high fees.

  • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 hours ago

    Panama should respond,

    “In response to Trump’s statement, Panama will talk with Putin about the possibility of a Russian military base to be built in Panama to safeguard free trade from interference from President Trump.”

    Trump can’t get angry at his daddy Putin.

  • Dragomus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    5 hours ago

    Interesting, the fees can almost be directly compared to his tariffs, as in its a government mandated fee on top of goods/ships crossing the border/canal… and Trump does not like them 😅

      • Agrivar@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        5 hours ago

        …as a lifelong New Englander, I’m not sure if I want to root for or against that proposal! (pre-Brexit it would have been a no-brainer; I’d love to be part of the EU)

    • Nougat@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 hours ago

      Probably not, since the US essentially stole it.

      US wanted to build a canal. The place they wanted to build it was part of Colombia. US backs a secession of the Central American portion of Columbia, creating the nation of Panama. Panama grants the US a 99-year lease on the Canal Zone. US builds canal.

  • shoulderoforion@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    ·
    6 hours ago

    Everybody laughing at this guy, but actual real people, and families, that are alive today, won’t be this time next year, because of the insane shit Trump and his cadre of incompetents will foist on the world with their purposefully unworkable foreign policies. You don’t do this, or nominate any of Trumps barrel bottoms in the first place, if you want a functioning ChristoFascist government, you do this because you want to get away with something else while everyone is distracted.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    4 hours ago

    The asshole isn’t president yet and the extortions and shakedowns have already started

  • teft@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    6 hours ago

    Someone should convince him that it’s a good idea to just build a canal through the US.