Trump invokes 'spirit of the frontier' in Gulf and Panama actions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump came out swinging in a combative inaugural speech in which he affirmed plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico and regain control of the Panama Canal.
Trump declared that under his watch, the country would not be "taken advantage" of anymore and promised an immediate "overhaul of our trade system" that he said would include tariffs and taxes on foreign countries.
"The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls," Trump said in the Capitol Rotunda after his inauguration was moved indoors due to cold weather.
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Trump said he would put America first and insisted the country would be "respected again" during his second term as the leader of the free world before he previewed a litany of directives he plans to roll out.
Among them: renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America —an announcement he first made at a news conference earlier this month.
"America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world," he said. "A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley to Mount McKinley where it should be and where it belongs."
The mountain in Alaska is currently recognized as Mount Denali. It was formally renamed in 2015 by former President Barack Obama.
Trump also signaled in the address that reclaiming the Panama Canal would be official policy.
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"We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made, and Panama's promise to us has been broken," he said. "The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated."
The U.S. agreed to give Panama the canal during Jimmy Carter's administration. Panama took full control of the waterway in 1999.
Trump and his allies have been raising concerns about Chinese influence over the canal's operations and looking for ways to retake control. "China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back," Trump said Monday.
He did not specify how the U.S. plans to reclaim the waterway, but his pick for secretary of state Marco Rubio suggested at a confirmation hearing last week the administration could argue that Panama violated the treaty that put them in charge of the waterway.
Rubio acknowledged at the hearing that canal is not under direct Chinese control. "While technically, sovereignty over the canal has not been turned over to a foreign power, in reality, a foreign power today possesses… through their companies, which we know are not independent, the ability to turn the canal into a choke point in a moment of conflict, and that is a direct threat to the interests and the national security of the United States," Rubio said.
The canal's use by Chinese shipping companies has been a frustration for Trump, given the U.S. paid for its construction more than a century ago.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump again pledges to 'take back' Panama Canal in inaugural address