President-elect Donald Trump has recently made the Panama Canal a new talking point of his America First agenda, and Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) agrees. Whether or not Trump will deploy the military for the sake of the Canal, the Florida Congressman reiterated that "we are going to be much more aggressive in protecting American interests with President Trump at the helm" in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co.
Rep. Gimenez highlighted the Panama Canal's importance for strategic and security purposes. He noted that Imperial Japan in World War II "built this huge submarine that they could put bombers on so they could take the Panama Canal out," referencing the Japanese I-400 and I-401 submarines, which were indeed built for the express purpose of attacking the Canal in the closing days of the conflict.
As a result, if China's influence over Panama was allowed to continue, Rep. Gimenez warned, "It is going to take us two to three weeks more; we [would] have to go around South America [Cape Horn]. So it is of huge strategic importance, and China has got its hands on it right now."
Substitute host Neil Cavuto appeared to indirectly reference a Chinese-backed plan to build a second canal in Nicaragua that fell through in May, which would be far more costly than "bribe enough officials in Panama to take over the existing Canal."
The Florida Congressman agreed, saying, "Any canal built in Nicaragua is going to take a long time to build, and so now you already have infrastructure there that is paid for by the United States of America, and now you are going to take advantage of it... We have reports that the Chinese have already been trying to buy influence, not only in Panama but around Latin America and around the world. They buy influencers, they bribe [and] co-opt politicians to do their bidding all around the world, and Panama is no exception."
Cavuto then asked if there was any possibility of Trump using military force to retake control of the Canal, referencing the deposition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989 by American troops.
Gimenez could not give a definitive answer but replied, "President Trump is going to put America first, and this Canal should have never been given up. And look, I have a lot of Panamanian friends, but I am sorry, we should have never given it up. It is up to us to protect our own interests."
He also pointed out that Trump is "already laying down his cards and his chips to Panama, to Greenland, and other areas around the world. You have got a new sheriff, and things are going to be different, and we are going to be much more aggressive in protecting American interests with President Trump at the helm."
