Donald Trump: ‘China trying to take over’: Trump says abandoning Panama Canal a ‘stupid mistake’
President of the United States Donald Trump The United States should not hand over control of the Panama Canal to Panama, it said on Wednesday, accusing the Central American country of drastically raising transit fees and accusing China of trying to gain influence over the strategic waterway.Speaking at the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, Trump criticized the U.S. decision to hand over control of the canal under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaty and said Washington would not allow Beijing to take over the route.“The Panama Canal, so we gave up. The first thing they did, you know what they did? They quadrupled the price of the ships, but they didn’t lose a ship. Then they raised it twice more, without losing a ship. All they do is make tons of money year after year. How stupid is this? “Trump said.“Now China is trying to take over the Panama Canal and we’re not going to let that happen, okay? It’s not part of the playbook because I don’t really have a playbook because this thing isn’t going to work,” he added.Under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaty, the Panama Canal was transferred to Panama, which assumed full control of the waterway in 1999.At the same event, Trump also renewed his criticism of the U.S. Supreme Court’s handling of birthright citizenship while praising recent rulings that he said have bolstered presidential power and strengthened merit-based admissions.Trump said he believed the court made a mistake on birthright citizenship but expressed confidence that the issue would eventually be resolved.“We will take care of birthright citizenship because that is not for rich people from other countries. It was intended for slave babies. If you look at it, that happened a month after the Civil War ended. That’s because it was intended for slave babies. It’s not for rich people from China. They come over on Gulfstreams,” Trump said.“I believe, no, I know they’re wrong, but that’s OK,” he added.Trump also welcomed a recent Supreme Court ruling that he said restored important powers to the president. On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the president’s power to remove executive branch leaders, overturning a 91-year precedent that limited the president’s power to remove Senate-confirmed officials.“You know, not too long ago, in yesterday’s decision, we actually had a great day, we had something that would give the president of the United States tremendous power, other than birthright citizenship, and I think we won 6 to 3,” he said.“It was taken from another Roosevelt. It was taken from Roosevelt in 1932. It’s been a bone of contention for nearly a hundred years. It was called the massacre case, and a lot of people thought it would never be won. We won two days ago in the Supreme Court,” Trump said.“It gives power back to the president at a time when he really needs it. I think that’s the most important decision of them all,” he added.
