President Trump on Tuesday celebrated increased American presence and influence over the Panama Canal, declaring in a speech to Congress that the U.S. is taking back the Panama Canal.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, BlackRock Inc. struck a $23 billion deal and secured control over key ports near the Panama Canal, stripping away Chinese-linked influence over one of the world’s most crucial shipping routes. This reportedly will effectively place the strategic ports under American control.
This comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Panama last month to meet with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha to discuss CCP control of the Panama Canal and fighting the border crisis.
President Trump commented on the deal, announced before his speech Tuesday, and indicated his administration will be reclaiming the entire Panama Canal.
He tasked Rubio with taking the area back.
WATCH:
Trump: To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it. Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal and lots of other things having to do with the Panama Canal and a couple of other canals.
The Panama Canal was built by Americans for Americans, not for others, but others could use it. But it was built at tremendous cost of American blood and treasure. 38,000 workers died building the Panama Canal. They died of malaria. They died of snake bites and mosquitoes, not a nice place to work. They paid them very highly to go there, knowing there was a 25% chance that they would die
. The most expensive project also that was ever built in our country’s history if you bring it up to modern-day costs. It was given away by the Carter administration for $1, but that agreement has been violated very severely. We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.
The post President Trump to Congress: “My Administration Will be Reclaiming the Panama Canal, and We’ve Already Started Doing It” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.