Trump Demands Panama Lower Transit Fees or Return Canal (1)

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the Panama Canal is charging “exorbitant prices and rates of passage” on US naval and merchant ships, and he demanded that fees be lowered or else Panama should return the canal to the US.

“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop.”

The US is the canal’s biggest customer, responsible for about three quarters of the cargo transiting through each year. ...