(Panama City, February 7, 2025) The Panamanian government announced on Friday that the telephone meeting between President Trump and President Mulino of Panama has been postponed due to a last-minute change in the US leader’s schedule.
The Panamanian President’s office posted a notice on social media platform X stating that the phone call between the two leaders “was postponed due to a last-minute change in the US President’s schedule, a message conveyed to the Panamanian Foreign Ministry by White House officials. The Foreign Ministry stated that a new date for the call will be notified after coordination between the two countries.”
The two leaders were originally scheduled to have the call on Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm.
It is believed that the focus of their conversation would be the Panama Canal. The canal, constructed by the United States starting in 1904 and officially opening for navigation in 1914, has become one of the world’s most important trade routes. After signing the treaty to “keep the canal permanently neutral,” the United States transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed concerns about the neutrality of the Panama Canal being threatened and has indicated a desire to take back control of the canal, which is at risk due to threats from the CCP.
Following a visit by US Secretary of State Rubio to Panama, President Mulino stated that Panama will not renew broad cooperation agreements related to China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and is considering an early withdrawal, making it the first Latin American country to exit the initiative. In addition, the Panamanian government plans to conduct a thorough investigation into Chinese companies operating key ports in the canal.
The scheduled call on Friday afternoon was postponed due to a last-minute change in Trump’s schedule. According to Reuters, Mulino accused the US of spreading “lies and false information” on Thursday, following a statement from the US State Department claiming that US government vessels could pass through the Panama Canal free of charge. However, this was denied by the Panama Canal Authority.
On Friday, Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru in Washington, who became the second foreign leader to visit the capital.
Later in the day, Trump is set to travel to Florida, where he plans to have dinner with Republican senators to discuss priorities for the government budget.
According to the Associated Press, due to the failure of House Republicans to meet the deadline once again on Friday to propose a budget plan including significant tax cuts and spending cuts, Senate Republicans took initiative and released a more targeted $340 billion budget blueprint focusing on Trump’s immigration policies and strengthening US defense spending.