Trump nominates Miami-Dade official as Panama ambassador amid canal row Announcement comes as Trump has threatened to reassert control over canal, which US handed to Panama in 1999.
The announcement of his pick for ambassador comes after Trump threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal, which it administered for decades before handing over to Panama in 1999.
Trump said the Central American country, with whom the US has had diplomatic relations since 1903, is “ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams”.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump accused Chinese soldiers of illegally operating the canal and “always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything.’”.
China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal’s Caribbean and Pacific entrances.
