Letter to the editor: "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama," Brunswick Beacon

Brunswick Beacon, 01.02.25

It’s a well-known palindrome that makes just as much sense if you read it backwards. That’s more than you can say for Trump’s out-of-the-blue threat to take over the Panama Canal, which makes no sense for America no matter how you look at it. Instead, the motivation might have to do with Trump’s personal history.

Some American military leaders have expressed concerns that the presence of Chinese companies along the Panama Canal may present a security vulnerability for the U.S. In Nov. 2017, Panama became the first Latin American country to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to develop China-centered global infrastructure, transportation, trade, and production networks. 

That happened on Trump’s watch, and makes Trump personally vulnerable to charges he was soft on China in his first term. He may be trying to distract from that now by posting a picture on social media of the U.S. flag flying over a canal with the caption: “Welcome to the United States Canal!”

Then there’s the fact that before and throughout his first term, a high-profile Trump hotel project in Panama was a source of scandal and financial problems, including money-laundering allegations. 

In 2011, Trump and his partners opened Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower, a 70-story skyscraper that loomed over Panama City. It was Trump’s first international hotel venture and one of the tallest buildings in Latin America.

Subsequent news organization investigations alleged that one of the main brokers who sold units in Trump’s tower met repeatedly with Ivanka Trump while working on the project and doing business with organized crime figures who allegedly used the properties for money-laundering, earning the tower the nickname “Narco-a-Lago,” a play on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Whether it’s Trump’s attempt to dodge responsibility for expanding Chinese influence, or an effort to profit off Panamanian connections, going to war over the Panama Canal is not in America’s interest.

Larry Widman

Leland