Trump calls for free passage of US ships through Panama and Suez canals

President Trump called for "free of charge" passage of US ships through the Panama and Suez canals, renewing his focus of expanding US influence over critical commercial and naval waterways. While Trump began pushing for an exit of Chinese port operators around the Panama Canal soon after returning to the White House in Jan, the post on his Truth Social network on Saturday also turned attention to the Suez Canal, which cuts through Egypt to link the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. "Those canals would not exist without the US," Trump said, adding that he has asked secretary of state Marco Rubio to "immediately take care of" the situation.