Trump expressed concerns about China's increasing influence in the area, highlighting that this trend poses risks to American interests, as US businesses rely on the canal to facilitate trade between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated very unfairly. The fees charged by Panama are outrageous," he stated in a post on his Truth Social platform. "This complete 'rip-off' of our country will cease immediately."

Originally completed by the US in 1914, the Panama Canal was handed over to Panama under a 1977 agreement signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, with full control transferred in 1999.