Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday that President-elect Trump’s remarks on Panama have broader implications for America’s credibility abroad.
In an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” Cardin expressed concerns about Trump’s proposal to return the Panama Canal to American control.
“It’s a dangerous statement because it affects America’s credibility globally. Our allies don’t know whether we are a reliable partner,” he said. “The obligations of the Panama Canal were set out in a treaty that was ratified by the Congress and the United States Senate,” Cardin said of Trump’s remarks.
“So I don’t know what the president-elect is saying in terms of his sincerity, but I can tell you that it raises questions globally about whether we are a reliable partner,” he added. “It really feeds into the appeal from Russia and China to other countries about whether they need to form alliances with Russia and China and whether America is going to be there for them globally.”
Last Sunday, Trump proposed a conference of his supporters to return the Panama Canal to U.S. control, pledging to take swift action on the issue after he takes office in less than a month.
It was given to Panama and the Panamanian people, but it comes with strings attached. “You have to treat us fairly, and they have not treated us fairly,” Trump said at the Turning Point USA “American Festival.”
“If the moral and legal principles of this generous gesture of giving are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly, and without a shadow of a doubt,” Trump added.
When a member of the audience shouted, “Take it back,” Trump replied, “That’s a good idea.”
Cardin noted that he saw similarities in the way Trump talked about withdrawing from NATO during his first administration.
We saw the same kind of statements made during his previous administration when he threatened to withdraw from NATO. “These are treaty obligations that our allies depend on, and they raise serious concerns about whether America will be there for them,” Cardin said.
