Mick Mulvaney, who served as the former chief of staff for the White House, stated on Monday that President-elect Trump’s recent provocations on the possibility of the United States regaining control of the Panama Canal are part of a negotiation strategy.
Mulvaney commented that Trump possesses leverage in the process of negotiation due to the fact that he makes “credible” threats to those he is negotiating with.
“If he says, you know, ‘Look, we’re going to have problems with Panama if they don’t lower the rates.’ You know, I don’t envision American troops going in to retake the canal, but you got to think that someone is out there scratching their head going, ‘Is Donald Trump crazy enough to do something like that?’” Mulvaney said.
“And it’s that viable threat that sort of gives him negotiating leverage that not a lot of other folks could ever come up with,” he added.
On Sunday, President Trump made a suggestion to a gathering of his supporters that the United States should regain ownership of the Panama Canal.
He also pledged to take prompt action regarding the issue after he enters office, which is expected to be in less than one month.
Additionally, Trump asserted that the Central American nation imposed unreasonable tolls on vessels that utilize the canal in order to travel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Boats and ships that use the canal in Panama are subject to tolls due to Panama’s canal system.
The fees might range anywhere from fifty cents to three hundred thousand dollars, depending on the size and function of the vessels. In 1999, the United States of America transferred responsibility of the canal over to Panama.
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