this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2024
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Not The Onion

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/23416568

Summary

Donald Trump criticized Panama Canal fees as “ridiculous” and demanded lower costs or the canal’s return to the US.

In a Truth Social post, Trump also expressed concern about potential Chinese influence over the waterway, despite no direct Chinese control of canal operations.

The canal, transferred to Panama in 1999, is vital for global trade, handling 5% of maritime traffic.

Trump’s comments follow record revenues of $5 billion announced by the Panama Canal Authority. Panama has not yet responded to his statements.

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[–] xylogx@lemmy.world 11 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The reason it has gotten so expensive is that the lake they use to flood the locks is dangerously low. Thing is that lake is also their main source of drinking water. So there is limited capacity unless you deprive the Panamanian people of drinking water. It is a complex issue, and bluster and threats will not make it any better.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 hours ago

I bet at least part of the reason for the lake running low is climate change too, making Trump and his cronies partly responsible for the very expenses he's having a hissy fit over..

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 8 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

But I thought he wanted to reduce imports from China.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Nah. Tariffs will just make consumers spend more money

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Fun fact: according to the scientific consensus*, The Panama Canal is not located in China

*AKA maps. Geography is a science, after all..

[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 5 points 3 hours ago

What!? Does the NASA is know about this???

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

For a grown man in a diaper he sure demands a lot. The toddler act is only gonna get him so far

[–] passivelnk@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago

Ignore him, and he will go away. Not immediately, but soon. He thrives on your rage.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 8 points 9 hours ago

This just barely qualifies as not the Onion

[–] El_guapazo@lemmy.world 25 points 14 hours ago

Pay attention to me! Ignore Luigi and Elon. I'm the news! I will have order!

[–] iamnotme@feddit.uk 19 points 15 hours ago

Hey Panama, it ain’t right that you’re charging people to use the Panama Canal. Give it to me so I can gouge the fuck out of it, including US shipping companies.

Unless they’re prepared to tickle my saggy balks of course, then they get friends and family discount.

[–] Pringles@lemm.ee 156 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

In other words: he was playing golf with some shipping magnate who complained about the high fees.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 52 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Or there was a segment on Fox News.

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 34 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Or Elon was trying to sound smart

[–] radix@lemmy.world 18 points 19 hours ago

There's a theory around that Elon even wrote the post.

https://bsky.app/profile/philco.bsky.social/post/3ldu7wfsr6k2g

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago

Nah, he's just trying to give Russia and China justifications to take back Taiwan and Alaska

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 92 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (3 children)

Panama has not yet responded to his statements.

Hopefully they just ignore him. And hopefully other countries start doing that too.

No government ahould be compelled to respond to Truth Social posts.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, best case scenario is that the rest of the world starts to consciously uncouple from the US, taking away the ability of the incoming fascist government to strongarm "allies" into doing and saying everything they want or suffer financial and diplomatic ruin.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 14 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

It's already happening. If Trump attempts to go Neville Chamberlain on Ukraine, the Europeans (at least a large group of them) are willing to tell him to fuck off.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 6 points 15 hours ago

Hopefully. Time will tell.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 7 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

No civilized person should be compelled to listen to Trump's whiny gob.

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 7 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

They could do something really funny and double it.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 10 points 19 hours ago (5 children)

They probably can't afford to double the fees for everyone, their canal would be out of business. But double the fees only for American-flagged vessels might be feasible.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's my understanding the canal is already almost out of business because they don't have enough water. They limit travel through the canal to avoid emptying Lake Gatun.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

You could argue they need to raise prices, both to account for the natural resource degradation and to reduce congestion to a sustainable level

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[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 27 points 17 hours ago

take-backsies as the basis for foreign policy

[–] lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world 60 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Sir, do you have the original receipt?

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 29 points 21 hours ago

Probably not, since the US essentially stole it.

US wanted to build a canal. The place they wanted to build it was part of Colombia. US backs a secession of the Central American portion of Columbia, creating the nation of Panama. Panama grants the US a 99-year lease on the Canal Zone. US builds canal.

[–] shoulderoforion@fedia.io 39 points 21 hours ago

Everybody laughing at this guy, but actual real people, and families, that are alive today, won't be this time next year, because of the insane shit Trump and his cadre of incompetents will foist on the world with their purposefully unworkable foreign policies. You don't do this, or nominate any of Trumps barrel bottoms in the first place, if you want a functioning ChristoFascist government, you do this because you want to get away with something else while everyone is distracted.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 22 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Panama should respond,

"In response to Trump's statement, Panama will talk with Putin about the possibility of a Russian military base to be built in Panama to safeguard free trade from interference from President Trump."

Trump can't get angry at his daddy Putin.

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[–] Dragomus@lemmy.world 26 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Interesting, the fees can almost be directly compared to his tariffs, as in its a government mandated fee on top of goods/ships crossing the border/canal.... and Trump does not like them 😅

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 20 hours ago (6 children)

Starmer should demand that Trump either drop the proposed tariffs or give New England back 😄

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[–] Karmmah@lemmy.world 15 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I think it's time to start blocking news about US politics.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Karmmah@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

Would recommend it. Much better than having your brain rot away at a massively increased pace for the next four years.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Burying your head in the sand is technically a strategy

[–] Karmmah@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

As is consuming news like these, getting frustrated over it but not being able to do anything about it and then wrecking your mental health.

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 11 points 19 hours ago

The asshole isn't president yet and the extortions and shakedowns have already started

[–] bazus1@lemmy.world 18 points 21 hours ago
[–] WatDabney@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

The US has elected Beavis and Butt-Head.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Beavis and Butthead had more charm.

[–] bookmeat@lemmynsfw.com 12 points 20 hours ago

Just double the fees for all US shipping for the next four years.

[–] teft@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago (8 children)

Someone should convince him that it's a good idea to just build a canal through the US.

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