Panama's President José Raúl Mulino's response to Trump's childish threats was more measured than the joking title but it was used to highlight the absurdity of negotiation through bullying. The only way to deal with bullies like Trump is to call them out for it.
Source: MSN
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino emphasized that the Panama Canal belongs to the country and rejected the possibility of any territorial concessions. He responded to a statement made by Donald Trump, who threatened to demand that Panama return control of this vital waterway to the United States, informs the New York Post.
The head of the Central American nation opposed Trump's suggestion that the U.S. might demand control over the Panama Canal after the newly elected US president takes office in January 2025.
Trump's claims were based on the argument that Panama allegedly charges excessive fees for using the waterway and criticized Panama's management of the canal.
"We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else," said Trump on December 22, during a speech to a large audience at the Turning Point USA AmericaFest festival in Arizona.
According to Trump, "if the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question."
In response, Mulino clearly stated on his social media account that "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue to."
The President of Panama stressed that "the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."
"Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest," he declared.
In response, Trump posted to Truth Social:
Very mature.
“My fellow countrymen, as president I want to express in a clear way that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue to do so. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable,” Mulino said in a video released by the government.
And the tweet from the title.
Four more years of this bullshit, and it hasn't even officially started yet.
