One of the main legacies of former president Jimmy Carter, who passed away this Sunday at the age of 100, was the agreement that ceded control of the Panama Canal to the Central American country after years of negotiations with the government of Omar Torrijos. The document, signed in 1977, went into effect on December 31, 1991.
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This agreement has received strong criticism from President-elect Donald Trump.
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What did Donald Trump say about the Panama Canal agreement?
Trump complains about the tariff increases that Panama has imposed to use the waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He says that if things do not change after he takes office next month, "we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in its entirety, quickly and without asking questions."
The president-elect says that the United States is being "scammed" and "I'm not going to tolerate it."
"It was handed over to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has clauses: you have to treat us fairly. And they have not treated us fairly," Trump declared about the 1977 treaty, which he said he "foolishly" handed over the canal.
Trump and other right-wing politicians claim that Panama and the Canal are influenced by China, despite the fact that the current president, José Raúl Mulino, is conservative and pro-private enterprise.
The neutrality treaty, also signed by Carter and Torrijos, does grant the United States the right to act if the operation of the canal is threatened due to a military conflict, but not to regain control.
What did he say about Trump regarding Carter's death?
"I just learned of the news of President Jimmy Carter's passing. Those of us who have had the fortune of serving as Presidents understand that it is a very exclusive club, and only we can comprehend the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History. The challenges that Jimmy faced as President occurred at a crucial time for our country, and he did everything possible to improve the lives of all Americans. That's why we all owe him a debt of gratitude," were Trump's first words on Sunday night after Carter's passing.
In fact, they stood out for being careful and diplomatic with a former president with whom they had a good relationship.
Then, in a second post minutes later on Truth Social, Trump commented that "although I deeply disagreed with him both philosophically and politically, I also recognize that he truly loved and respected our country and all that it represents. He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my utmost respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, he will be deeply missed. He also had a very significant impact, much more than most Presidents, after leaving the Oval Office."
However, on Monday, Donald Trump did repost an article from the New York Post, an ultra-right-wing media outlet that supported him during his candidacy, in which it says that “Panama is violating the Canal treaty by getting closer to China and risking the security of the United States.”