President Donald Trump called for military and commercial ships from the United States to be able to travel through the Suez and Panama Canals without facing a fee, and added that he had directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take care of the issue.
“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Those Canals would not exist without the United States of America. I’ve asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation!”
Trump’s post comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced earlier this month during a press conference in Panama that the U.S. and Panama would “sign a declaration providing a framework for U.S. warships and auxiliary ships to travel ‘first and free’ through the canal,” which the U.S. built “in the early 1900s” before it was handed over to Panama in the 1990s.
While the U.S. had built the canal in the early 1900s and maintained it for decades before handing it over to Panama in the 1990s, China had in recent years poured money into projects and infrastructure attached to it. As a passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that handles more than 40 percent of U.S. maritime trade, if China were able to close the canal, it would be a catastrophe for the U.S.
In December 2024, Trump threatened to retake the Panama Canal if Panama continued to rip the U.S. off, and referenced how U.S. vessels were being charged “exorbitant” fees to travel through the canal.
Trump described the Panama Canal as being a “vital national asset” for the U.S. and added that “a secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce.”
“The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. “A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports.”
In February, Rubio succeeded in convincing Panama not to renew its agreement with China to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).