Trump: Panama will lose control of canal if it continues to ‘rip off’ US

Latin American leaders on Monday rallied to Panama's defense after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reimpose US control over the Panama Canal, a key global shipping route located in the Central American nation.

Trump Feud Over Canal Control Weighs Down Panama Assets

The 80-kilometer (50-mile) interoceanic waterway is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous public entity.

But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can’t reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s.