We're taking it back.' Trump inauguration speech claim that the U.S. will regain control of the Panama Canal spurs immediate reaction in Panama.

The canal, which was once owned by the United States but was handed over to Panama decades ago, gives vessels a much shorter route between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. While the two countries could end up resolving the issue,

In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump reiterated threats he has made about the Panama Canal, claiming, "we're taking it back." He'd previously declared that the rates Panama charges for access to the Panama Canal violated the “magnanimous gesture” the U.

President Trump wants Panama to return its namesake canal to the U.S. Panama’s birth as a nation is directly linked to the U.S.’s coming of age as a young imperial power after its victory in the Spanish-American War of 1898.