DAVOS (Reuters) – Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded “seriously, seriously” on Wednesday when asked in Davos if he was worried about the possibility of a U.S. invasion after President Donald Trump said he would retake the Panama Canal.
Mulino declined to answer further questions after speaking at a panel session that addressed Latin America’s “failures” at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss resort.
In his inaugural address on Monday, which invoked the 19th century expansionist doctrine of “Manifest Destiny,” Trump repeated his aspiration for the United States to retake the canal, which is a key route for global shipping.
Trump has not given further details about when or how he intends to recover the canal — which is the sovereign territory of an ally — but he has refused to rule out the possible use of military force, drawing criticism from Washington’s Latin American friends and enemies.
He also repeated previous accusations against Panama of failing to fulfill promises made for the final transfer of the strategic waterway in 1999 and of ceding its operation to China, allegations the Panamanian government has vehemently denied.
Mulino said on X on Monday that Panama has managed the canal responsibly for world trade, including for the United States, and that it “is and will remain Panamanian.”
