President Trump said Saturday that American commercial and military ships should not have to pay to travel through the Panama Canal and Suez Canal.
“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals! Those Canals would not exist without the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social.
The president added that he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation!”
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Trump has been saying for months that he wants to take back the Panama Canal from Panama, claiming the trade route is controlled by China. He has not ruled out using military actions to take over the canal and told reporters in January, before being sworn in as president, that the passageway is needed for “economic security.”
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has continuously said the canal will remain under the country’s control. The Central American country has had control of the canal since 1999.
During his visit to Panama earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. and Panama will work side-by-side to take back the canal from “China’s influence.”
Trump also said Saturday that U.S. military and commercial vessels should be travel through the Suez Canal, a waterway in Egypt, free of charge.
The canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and divides Asia and Africa, has been operational since late 1869. It represents a key trade route between Asia and countries in Europe.
American naval ships regularly pass through the Suez Canal.
Global trade has been slowed down in recent months with continuous attacks on ships by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Between 12 and 15 percent of the global trade passes through the canal annually.