Consider This from NPR
The people and the waterway at the center of the Panama Canal
Mon, 03 Feb 2025
The Panama Canal has sat at the center of global trade for more than a century, connecting two oceans. The things Americans use every day pass through here, from gas to food. And now, this spot is also at the center of President Trump's global expansionist agenda.Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just wrapped up a trip to Panama where he told the President that if China's influence over the canal isn't curbed the United States will take measures to protect its rights.Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal has the potential to reshuffle global politics. We're meet the people and the 51-mile waterway in the middle of it all.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.orgEmail us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What sparked the recent controversy over the Panama Canal?
When President Donald Trump started talking about taking back the Panama Canal right around Christmas, there was a lot of reaction from people in Panama. Diplomatic but firm statements from the president, chants, an American flag burning in the streets, and also memes. We get angry.
But it's also funny, because come on.
That is Joel Diaz and Jessica Salado. They're members of the super popular Panamanian satire group called El Gainazo. That name refers to the black vultures that are all over Panama City. Now, the vulture is definitely not the national bird, but unlike the majestic harpy eagle that is on Panama's crest, the vultures are actually part of people's everyday lives. Here's Jessica.
What El Gallinazo does is that it's like a translator of very important and serious news, but in a Panamanian slang. So everyone can be informed, but entertained at the same time.
We met the team at El Gallinazo's offices in Panama City, and we came here to find out how Trump's threats are resonating with the people who could face the most severe consequences if he follows through. And we're here at a time when Panama is in the global spotlight. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio just wrapped up a visit to deliver and perhaps clarify Trump's message about the canal.
We love controversial content.
So this for us is like a goldmine. One of the group's illustrators is Esperanza Villalobos. She recently drew an image of President Trump as a baby pointing at the Panama Canal and crying, I want that one.
I think it's funny because we're looking at our politicians and we believe that our politicians are low material, IQ, intelligence, whatever.
You think your politicians are dumb.
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Chapter 2: Who are the voices of satire in Panama?
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It's Consider This from NPR. Right now, I am in a building in what used to be known as the Panama Canal Zone. It's just steps from the waterway. This spot has sat at the center of global trade for more than a century, connecting two oceans. The things Americans use every day pass through here, from gasoline to food.
And now, this spot is also at the center of President Trump's global expansionist agenda. Monday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up a visit to Panama. And here's what his boss, President Trump, said on Sunday.
China's running the Panama Canal. That was not given to China. That was given to Panama foolishly. But they violated the agreement and we're going to take it back or something very powerful is going to happen.
His claim that China operates the canal is false, and we'll dig into that more in a minute. When Rubio woke up here in Panama City yesterday morning, he went to services at a church where cameras were not allowed. But a different Sunday morning service live-streamed into Panamanians' homes all over the country.
Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa offered a homily that gives you a sense of how Panamanians are feeling right now. Sovereignty and the good name of Panama are not given away or negotiated, he said from the pulpit. They are defended with determination and love for the homeland. Trump's focus on the canal has brought out a nationalistic streak here in Panama.
The country's flag flutters along roadsides, on buildings and in front yards. Panamanians told me they don't even see this many flags on Independence Day. After Sunday morning services, Secretary Rubio met with Panama's President José Raúl Mulino. Here's how the president described that meeting.
I didn't feel anything at all.
I didn't feel any sense of controversy, just a climate of respect, he said. The State Department described things differently. According to a spokesperson's statement, Rubio told Molino that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that China has too much influence over the canal, which he says violates international treaties. The statement continued, quote,
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