Maria Cardona: We Can’t Take the Panama Canal Just by Saying We Want to Take the Panama Canal, It Doesn’t Belong to Us

BOLDUAN: “But, Maria, back to the lesser important things, which would be the news, very serious people are saying to take this very seriously. People in Trump‘s orbit say that it may sound, it may sound out there, but it is actually squarely in line with his America-first policies. Victoria Coates, who was a top national security official in Trump‘s first term, told Reuters this about all that: ‘The idea is that what‘s good for America is good for the rest of the world. So he takes a clear-eyed look at what are America‘s interests in any given situation,’ and says that about all of this. Panama‘s president clearly not too happy, saying, ‘Our country‘s sovereignty and independence are not negotiable.’ But I‘ve been hearing, when it comes to Panama, part of this has to do with concern and standing up to the growing influence of China. What do you think of this, if this is a negotiating position from Donald Trump, Maria?”
CARDONA: “Well, I certainly agree that we should take him seriously, that he wants to do this. It doesn‘t make it a good idea or a sane idea. I mean, pass go, collect $200? Who knows? The fact of the matter is, is that we can‘t take the Panama Canal just by saying we want to take the Panama Canal. It doesn‘t belong to us. So maybe Trump should crack a book, read the law, look at history, try to understand what actually happened not just 25 years ago, but in 1977 and 100 years ago, when the construction of the Panama Canal started. It doesn‘t belong to us. And so just by saying it doesn‘t make it so, doesn‘t make it a good idea. But, look, if he is actually concerned about the Chinese influence in Panama, on the Panama Canal, in Latin America, which is what I understand is the basis of this, and that I do think should be a concern, then he should be smart about it. He should be strategic. He should go to Panama and say, ‘We want to work with you. We want to invest with you.’ It‘s exactly what the Chinese are doing. We want to invest in the Panama Canal, make it work better, make it work for you. That way, if it works for you, it works for us.’ It‘s called partnership. I understand that he doesn‘t really believe in that. He wants to be the strongman, go in there, own it all. Greenland, I really don‘t get that, but, you know, Scott is very interested in it. So, Scott, if you move to Greenland, I would love to come and visit you. It doesn‘t mean it‘s good for America or that it‘s a smart thing to do. And frankly, it‘s not what he talked about in the campaign. It‘s not why people voted for him. So I think that there is a risk here for him to be focusing so much energy in his transition, in his first term, talking about acquiring Greenland when he promised Americans he would bring down the price of groceries.”