Part I of a Two-Part Explainer on Politics and the Panama Canal
During the 2024 campaign at his many rallies, Donald Trump almost always mentioned the United States’ construction of the Panama Canal as evidence of the past U.S. greatness.
President-elect Trump’s recent pronouncements on the Panama Canal—and China’s role in the canal’s operations—have brought a renewed focus on the “path between the seas.”
Before exploring what might happen during the second Trump Administration concerning the Canal, it would be best to understand how we got to now.