Gimenez calls Trump Panama threats 'legitimate'

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) on Monday called President-elect Trump’s recent threats about the Panama Canal “legitimate.”

“I always take the president seriously, and it’s … [a] legitimate threat to Panama,” Gimenez told Fox Business's Ashley Webster on “Varney and Co.” when asked if the U.S. had a chance at getting the Panama Canal “back.”

“He wants a better deal, and I think we need to get a better deal from — from Panama,” he added.

On Saturday, Trump expressed frustration via Truth Social with the fees charged for the use of the Panama Canal, asserting that he would stipulate oversight of the canal return to the U.S. when he comes back into the White House if that is not changed.

“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop.”

The following day, at an event for the conservative group Turning Point USA, Trump said the canal "was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions, you gotta treat us fairly and they haven't treated us fairly."

“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question,” he added.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino swung back at the president-elect in a video statement Sunday.

“As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so,” Mulino said. “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”

In his Fox Business appearance Monday, Gimenez said Trump "very well could be right, that — that we're getting ripped off" when it comes to the Panama Canal.

Topics

Biden delivers on threat to veto bill to expand U.S. judiciary

The JUDGES Act would have increased the number of trial court judges in 25 federal district courts in 13 states in six waves every two years through 2035.
NBC News - 1h
Trump’s Wish to Control Greenland and Panama Canal: Not a Joke This Time

In recent days the president-elect has called for asserting U.S. control over the Panama Canal and Greenland, showing that his “America First” philosophy has an expansionist dimension.
The New York Times - 1h
Mulvaney on Trump, Panama Canal: It’s a negotiation

Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on Monday that President-elect Trump's recent provocations about the U.S. possibly retaking control of the Panama Canal are part of a ...
The Hill - 1h
Trump's 25% tariff could be an existential threat to Canada's recovering auto industry

There's growing concern that potential tariffs on Canadian imports to the U.S. could be an existential threat to the country's recovering automotive industry.
CNBC - 9h
5 Cold Email Calls to Action That Will Convert in 2025

How to intrigue today’s increasingly skeptical consumers.
Inc. - 10h
Who owns the Panama Canal and what does Trump want with it?

US president-elect has threatened to retake canal over ‘exorbitant’ rates but Panama’s president rejects his claims. Donald Trump has threatened to take over the Panama Canal , but what is the ...
The Guardian - 14h
Trump threatens to take the Panama Canal

President-elect Donald Trump made comments threatening to take back the Panama Canal based on what he said were high costs that ships are encountering. CBS News' Cristian Benavides reports.
CBS News - 9h
Trump threatens to retake control of Panama Canal, picks Mark Burnett for special envoy to U.K.

President-elect Donald Trump, now a month away from returning to the White House, threatened to reclaim control of the Panama Canal as he spoke Sunday at Turning Point USA's America Fest in ...
CBS News - 11h
Consumer confidence dented by stock-market worries and threat of Trump tariffs

The consumer-confidence index fell to a three-month low in December.
MarketWatch - 12h