FIGHTING BACK

Panama President Blasts ‘Lying’ Trump Over His Canal Takeover Plan

“The Canal is Panamanian and will continue to be Panamanian!” said José Raúl Mulino, in a social media post.

The president of Panama blasted his American counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday for “lying” about US efforts to retake the Panama Canal. “Once again, President Trump is lying,” José Raúl Mulino wrote in a social media post. “The Panama Canal is not in the process of recovery.” During an address to Congress Tuesday, Trump reiterated his pledge to “take back” the canal and touted a deal by BlackRock in which the US-based asset manager agreed to acquire two ports of the opposite sides of the 51-mile waterway, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The proposed acquisition is part of a larger ports deal worth $21.8 billion, and the transfer of the assets is pending regulatory approval. Trump had previously claimed, without offering any evidence, that the Hong Kong-based firm that owns the two ports is under the thumb of Beijing. The U.S. president has also refused to rule out using military force as part of his own supposed plans to retake the canal itself, which became Panamanian territory after America handed it over in 1999. Mulino added: “The Canal is Panamanian and will continue to be Panamanian!”