“Be serious,” says the president of Panama when asked about Trump's “invasion”

The President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, attends the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2025.

During his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Panamanian president José Raúl Mulino reiterated his country's sovereignty over the Panama Canal and dismissed a question about a possible US invasion, after criticism from his counterpart Donald Trump.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Wednesday “be serious, be serious” when asked in Davos if he is worried about the United States invading his country after the president Donald Trump said he would take back the Panama Canal.

Mulino declined to answer other questions after speaking in a panel session addressing the situation in Latin America at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort.

In his inauguration speech on Monday, Trump repeated his aspiration for the United States to reclaim the canal, a key route for global shipping.

Trump did not elaborate on when or how he plans to claim the canal – which is sovereign territory of an ally – but previously said which does not rule out the possible use of military forcewhich has drawn criticism from both Washington's Latin American allies and rivals.

He also repeated previous accusations against Panama of failing to fulfill the promises it made for the definitive transfer of the strategic waterway in 1999 and of ceding its exploitation to China, accusations that the Panamanian government has vehemently denied.

Mulino stated on Monday in X that Panama has managed the canal responsibly for global trade, including that of the United States, and that “it is and will continue to be Panamanian.”

In the Davos Forum session, Mulino repeated the Government's position, stating that he rejected “in its entirety everything that Mr. Trump said, first because it was false and second because the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama.” “.

“The Panama Canal was not a concession or a gift from the United States,” he said, adding that it came into being through a series of treaties dating back to 1903.

The United States largely built the canal and administered the territory surrounding the pass for decades.

But the United States and Panama signed a pair of agreements in 1977 that paved the way for the canal to return fully to Panamanian control. The United States handed it over in 1999 after a period of joint administration.