Rep. Carlos Jimenez (R-Fla.) said Monday that President-elect Trump’s recent threats to the Panama Canal are “legitimate.”
“I always take the president seriously, and it’s … (a) legitimate threat to Panama,” Gimenez told Fox Business’ Ashley Webster on “Varney and Co.” When asked whether there was a chance for the United States to “take back” the Panama Canal.
“He wants a better deal and I think we should get a better deal from Panama,” he added.
President Trump expressed his displeasure with the Panama Canal fees on Truth Social on Saturday, claiming that if they are not changed, he will stipulate oversight of the canal’s return to the United States when he returns to the White House.
“The fees Panama is charging are outrageous,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Especially when you realize that the United States has been incredibly generous to Panama.” “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our country will stop immediately.”
The next day, President Trump said at an event for the conservative group ‘Turning Point USA’, “The canal was given to Panama and the Panamanian people, but there was a provision that they had to treat us fairly, but they did not treat us fairly.” “
“If the moral and legal principles of this generous donation are not upheld, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States promptly and completely, without question,” he added.
Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino hit back at the president-elect in a video statement Sunday.
“As president, I want to make it clear that every square meter of the Panama Canal and adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue to do so,” Mulino said. “Our country’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.”
In an appearance on Fox Business on Monday, Gimenez said President Trump “may be right that we are being scammed” regarding the Panama Canal.
