US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Speaking at his first post-election rally in Arizona, Trump complained that canal authorities are collecting ‘ridiculous’ fees from ships that pass through the the Central American passage.Trump also warned in a post on Truth Social, that he would not let the canal fall into the ‘wrong hands,’ and he seemed to warn of potential Chinese influence on the passage.The US relinquished control of the waterway to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter.Trump said that when he's president, ‘This complete rip off’ of the US ‘will immediately stop.’If not, he said, the waterway could ‘be returned to the United States of America in full and without question.’Trump also outlined several key plans for his return to the White House and assumption of the presidency. He vowed to commence ‘the largest deportation operation in American history’ as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.Trump also pledged to construct an Iron Dome, a missile defense system, to protect the US from any potential threat.
