China Panama, Musk, Tiktok: Trump gets in the mood for a comeback
Threatening gesture towards Latin America: US President-elect Donald Trump wants to reclaim control of the Panama Canal under certain circumstances. "Has anyone here ever heard of the Panama Canal?" he asked the audience at a right-wing conservative conference in the state of Arizona. "Because we're being ripped off with the Panama Canal, just like everywhere else."
23.12.2024, 06:51
SDA
With his appearance at "AmericaFest" in the city of Phoenix, the 78-year-old Republican gave a foretaste of how he is likely to stage his second term in office. He also used the stage to respond to accusations that tech billionaire Elon Musk is exerting too much influence on his policies, once again commented on the impending closure of the video app Tiktok in the USA and addressed controversial cultural policy issues, which he described as "woke bullshit".
It was Trump's first speech of this kind since his election victory in early November and was reminiscent in style of his rallies in previous months - but was visually even more spectacular: accompanied by pyrotechnics and a large, glowing "47". The 47th President of the United States will be sworn in on January 20 in Washington.
"We are being ripped off with the Panama Canal"
Trump criticized the transit fees at the Panama Canal as "highly unfair". He called for control of the waterway to be handed back to the USA if it was not treated fairly. The canal - one of the most important trade routes in the world - was built by the USA in the early 20th century and controlled for a long time before administration was gradually handed over to Panama.
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino firmly rejected Trump's demands and emphasized Panama's sovereignty. The fees would be determined transparently and in public hearings, he said in a statement published on the X platform. "Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the adjacent territory belongs to Panama and will continue to do so." "We'll see about that," Trump countered on his Truth Social platform, posting a picture of the canal behind a large US flag. "Welcome to the United States Channel," he wrote.
"No, he's not taking over the presidency"
In Phoenix, Trump also commented on Elon Musk's role, which had recently caused criticism during the budget negotiations in Congress. The world's richest man according to Forbes has been accused of interfering in government work without a political mandate in order to pursue his own economic interests. Some Democrats mocked Musk as the true leader of the Republicans and ironically called him "President Musk".
Trump now firmly refuted this label, but did not directly deny Musk's influence behind the scenes. Instead, he explained: "No, he's not taking over the presidency. (...) But Elon has done a great job. Isn't it nice to have smart people we can rely on?"
"Maybe we should keep this thing for a while longer"
Trump was once again skeptical about the impending end of Tiktok. "Maybe we should keep this thing for a while longer," said the Republican. The video app from Chinese company Bytedance is under pressure in the USA due to data protection concerns. A law passed in April requires Tiktok to be sold by January 19, otherwise it could be banned from American app stores and lose important infrastructure.
The date falls one day before Trump's inauguration. Although he cannot repeal the law on his own, the Department of Justice would be responsible for its implementation under his administration.
"Woke is bullshit"
Cultural policy issues also featured in Trump's speech, which he comprehensively described as "woke bullshit". Among other things, he declared that with his administration, the official policy would be that "there are only two genders: male and female". "Transgender insanity" must be banned from schools. In this context, Trump spoke out in favor of strengthening patriotic content in schools and also reducing the critical examination of the racist history of the USA. "We will teach our children to love our country, to honor our history and to always respect our great American flag," he said.
"Will no longer be overrun"
Another central theme of his speech was migration policy. As in the election campaign, Trump spoke of an "invasion" and used dehumanizing rhetoric. "We will no longer be invaded, we will no longer be overrun, we will no longer be conquered," he said. The migrants were all criminals or people from "insane asylums". "We will once again (...) be a nation we can be proud of." Mass deportations were a central promise of his election campaign. To implement this plan, Trump has already brought several right-wing hardliners into his team.
Who's who of the American right
AmericaFest is a major annual conference that celebrates conservative values, patriotism and activism. The multi-day event attracts thousands of participants and is organized by the organizations Turning Point Action and Turning Point USA. In addition to Trump, numerous prominent representatives of the ultra-right spectrum also appeared there, including Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Sebastian Gorka and Matt Walsh.
