The cost of using the Panama Canal has risen in recent years — excessively so, President Trump has asserted. The canal operator says droughts, investments in upgrades and sheer demand are among the reasons. But if Mr. Trump wrests lower canal fees out of Panama, American consumers may not feel much difference, because canal costs … Read more
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to escalate the Trump administration’s confrontation with Panama on Sunday, telling its leader that President Trump had determined that Chinese “influence and control” over the Panama Canal threatens the waterway and demanding “immediate changes,” according to the State Department. Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, provided a different account of … Read more
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins his first overseas trip on Saturday in Panama, Central American countries are largely reeling under the weight of President Trump’s confrontational approach, including threats of military force to reclaim the Panama Canal and coercing nations into accepting military planes filled with deported migrants. The visit comes during a … Read more
In the end it took only about 12 hours for President Trump’s first head-to-head confrontation with one of the United States’ closest allies in Latin America, a blowup over Columbia’s rejection of U.S. military flights to return illegal immigrants, to result in a complete retreat by the target of Mr. Trump’s threats. It wasn’t much … Read more
Panama submitted a formal letter to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and the U.N. Security Council on Monday, rejecting comments that President Trump made about reclaiming the Panama Canal during his inauguration speech. “We didn’t give it to China,” Mr. Trump said after being sworn in. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it … Read more
In the weeks before he took office, Donald J. Trump repeatedly vowed to carry out the largest deportations in U.S. history and to militarize the border, all while his transition team rebuffed requests from regional leaders to meet over the effects of his promised moves. He made countries such as Mexico targets of his attacks, … Read more