Why has Trump made the Panama canal a top priority?

Today in Focus

The Guardian

Daily News, News

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Panama on the weekend to put pressure on the country over how it runs the canal and its ties with China. Andrew Roth reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:09.6	Today, what is Trump's obsession with the Panama Canal?
0:18.7	People can't stop talking about Academy Award nominated for original screenplay.
0:22.5	September 5.
0:23.6	There's a hostage situation right now in the Olympic Village.
0:26.2	A claustrophobic masterpiece, The Times, Ed Potten.
0:29.2	ABC wants news to take over.
0:30.5	Their sports.
0:31.2	They're in way over your head.
0:32.3	Based on true events.
0:33.5	If they shoot someone on live television, whose story is that?
0:36.6	Is it ours or is it theirs?
0:37.9	A tot, tense thriller, four stars, The Guardian, Peter Brettshaw.
0:41.1	Our job is to tell the story of these individuals.
0:43.6	What's happening?
0:44.6	Oh, God.
0:45.3	September 5 in Cinemas Now, cert 15.
0:52.7	The Panama Canal, a mighty waterway that carries 5% of the world's trade, and a recent fixation of Donald Trump's.
1:03.8	Anti-American demonstrations in Panama's capital. The city is being plastered with national flags.
1:12.5	Ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit here to discuss Donald Trump's threat to take back U.S. control of the canal.
1:19.5	Trump's claims to the canal might seem spurious, but he's not the first strong man to set
1:25.1	his sights on it.
	...

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