Trump says US ships should be allowed to travel through the Suez canal for free
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American military and commercial ships should be allowed to travel through the Panama Canal and Suez Canal free of charge.
"I’ve asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The U.S. completed construction of the canal in the early 20th century but gave control of the strategically important waterway to Panama in 1999.
Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to "take back" the canal. Before taking office in January, he told reporters that he would not rule out using economic or military force to regain control over the canal.