U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 1) that the United States will not let China take over the Panama Canal.

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Trump says the US will not let China take over Panama Canal

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AT EVENT, SOUNDBITE FROM TRUMP

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY

SHOWS: MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES (JULY 1, 2026) (U.S. NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

1. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ARRIVING FOR EVENT

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"We lost 38,000 people building the Panama Canal. Our people. 38,000 people died building the Panama Canal. It opened and from day one it was very successful and we gave it away. We gave it away. It was the most expensive thing we ever built. And it was also the most profitable thing we ever built. That's a nice combination. A little bit like Venezuela. We did a good job in Venezuela. We're actually doing equally as well with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maybe you've heard of it, but think of it, the Panama Canal. So we gave it away the first thing they did. You know what they did. They raised the prices for the ships by four times, and they didn't lose one ship. And then they raised it again twice, and they didn't lose one ship. All they did is make tremendous amounts of money for years and years. How stupid was that? And now China is trying to take over the Panama Canal, and we're not going to let that happen."

3. EVENT IN PROGRESS