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Gone quiet · last update Apr 3, 2026 / Panama

Trump's push to take back the Panama Canal

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Starting before his second inauguration, President Donald Trump said the United States should take back the Panama Canal, citing what he called China's influence there, and he refused to rule out military force.[1][2] Panama's leaders rejected the claims,[3][4] but in 2026 Panama's Supreme Court voided a Hong Kong company's concession to run ports at both ends of the canal, advancing the US goal.[5] Trump's push for Greenland is followed in a related arc.

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Panama's leaders rejected the claims,[3][4] but in 2026 Panama's Supreme Court voided a Hong Kong company's concession to run ports at both ends of the canal, advancing the US goal.[5] Trump's push for Greenland is followed in a related arc.

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-01-06 (UTC): 4%, 9 of 221 tracked outlets (1 left, 3 center, 5 right)Week of 2025-01-13 (UTC): 1%, 2 of 228 tracked outlets (1 left, 1 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-01-20 (UTC): 7%, 16 of 226 tracked outlets (1 left, 10 center, 5 right)Week of 2025-01-27 (UTC): 4%, 8 of 223 tracked outlets (2 left, 4 center, 2 right)Week of 2025-02-03 (UTC): 13%, 24 of 190 tracked outlets (6 left, 14 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-02-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-02-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-02-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-03 (UTC): 2%, 4 of 202 tracked outlets (2 left, 2 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-03-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-07 (UTC): 7%, 13 of 194 tracked outlets (2 left, 7 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-04-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-21 (UTC): 3%, 7 of 206 tracked outlets (1 left, 3 center, 3 right)Week of 2025-04-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): 4%, 8 of 189 tracked outlets (4 left, 1 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): 3%, 5 of 190 tracked outlets (1 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 3 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (10 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Mar 30, 20261315 of 1903%
Jan 26, 20264138 of 1894%
Apr 21, 20251337 of 2063%
Apr 7, 202527413 of 1947%
Mar 3, 20252204 of 2022%
Feb 3, 2025614424 of 19013%
Jan 27, 20252428 of 2234%
Jan 20, 2025110516 of 2267%
Jan 13, 20251102 of 2281%
Jan 6, 20251359 of 2214%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Apr 2, 2026 · first reported · Headline from KOB 4

    Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships after canal clash

Background

In January 2025 the canal's administrator said the waterway would remain in Panamanian hands and open to all countries,[3] and Trump doubled down in his inaugural address.[1] Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned President José Raúl Mulino that the US would take "measures necessary" if Panama did not curb China's influence,[2] and the canal authority denied a State Department statement that US government ships would transit free.[6] Mulino accused Trump of "lying" about taking the canal back.[4]

In April Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US and Panama would keep the canal secure from Chinese threats, drawing an angry response from Beijing,[7][8] and Trump said American ships should pass free of charge.[9] In January 2026 Panama's Supreme Court ruled that the concession held by a subsidiary of CK Hutchison was unconstitutional,[5] and after Panama took control of the ports, Rubio accused China of "bullying" by holding up Panama-flagged ships.[10]

Supporting stories (10)
  1. Panama, familiar with US intervention, bristles at Trump's comments on canal
  2. Rubio warns of U.S. action if Panama does not curb Chinese influence around the canal
  3. Panama Canal administrator pushes back against Trump's assertions of Chinese meddling - The Daily Reporter
  4. Panama president says ‘Trump is lying’ about reclaiming canal
  5. Hong Kong company’s concession to operate Panama Canal ports is ruled unconstitutional
  6. Panama Denies State Department’s Claim US Ships Can Pass Through Canal For Free
  7. Hegseth spurs fiery response from Beijing over Panama Canal ‘threat’ comments
  8. U.S. Defense Secretary Vows to “Take Back” Panama Canal
  9. Trump calls for free passage of US ships through Panama, Suez canals: 'Would not exist without the USA'
  10. Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships after canal clash

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 10 recorded updates

April 2026

  1. Rubio accuses China of 'bullying' for holding up Panama-flagged ships after canal clashHeadline from KOB 4 · 5 outlets

January 2026

  1. Hong Kong company’s concession to operate Panama Canal ports is ruled unconstitutionalHeadline from MyNorthwest · 11 outlets

April 2025

  1. Trump calls for free passage of US ships through Panama, Suez canals: 'Would not exist without the USA'Headline from FOX Business · 8 outlets
  2. Hegseth spurs fiery response from Beijing over Panama Canal ‘threat’ commentsHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 10 outlets
  3. U.S. Defense Secretary Vows to “Take Back” Panama CanalHeadline from Oil Price · 6 outlets

March 2025

  1. Panama president says ‘Trump is lying’ about reclaiming canalHeadline from The Guardian · 5 outlets

February 2025

  1. Panama Denies State Department’s Claim US Ships Can Pass Through Canal For FreeHeadline from Forbes · 14 outlets

January 2025

  1. Rubio warns of U.S. action if Panama does not curb Chinese influence around the canalHeadline from Delaware Public Media · 26 outlets
  2. Panama, familiar with US intervention, bristles at Trump's comments on canalHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 19 outlets
  3. Panama Canal administrator pushes back against Trump's assertions of Chinese meddling - The Daily ReporterHeadline from Green Field Reporter · 10 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →