President-elect Donald Trump previewed the agenda of his incoming administration in Arizona less than a month until he’s slated to return to the White House, marking a return to a state in which he won the election by more than five points.
The remarks Sunday in which Trump touted his victory concluded the program at “America Fest” hosted by Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action in Phoenix.
Trump used the rally-like stage to proclaim the U.S. was being “ripped off” at the Panama Canal and threaten demanding its return.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” Trump told the crowd hours after echoing a similar sentiment on Truth Social where he complained about the fees charged by Panama, explaining the canal is crucial for US commerce and rapid deployment of the Navy.
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“It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!” he posted on Truth Social.
Panama President José Raúl Mulino rebuffed the notion, stating “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong,” to Panama, according to the Associated Press.
Trump also said he informed Mexico and Canada to do more to stop illegal border and drug crossings into the country, before telling the crowd “and that goes for the European Union and it goes for many other places.”
“They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our agricultural product, but we take theirs and they’ve got to be careful they can’t treat us that way, they’re not going to be treating us that way for long, that I can tell you. Because we’re not gonna let them turn the United States into a dumping ground, we’re not going to let it happen,” Trump said.
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Border and trade policies have been key pieces of Trump’s campaign promises, in which he’s vowed to sign executive orders to crack down on migration and start a large deportation operation on day one in office. Trump also previewed an advertising campaign he compared to a political one, against drugs.
“We're going to advertise, how bad drugs are for you. How bad they are. They ruin your, look, they ruin your face. They ruin your skin and ruin your teeth,” Trump said.
In the backdrop of the remarks, Trump has continued rolling out his picks for key cabinet and administration roles. He specifically touted Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, some who have been meeting with lawmakers ahead of confirmation processes.
“And we're getting great reviews. I have to say they're all doing well but we're getting fantastic reviews on the people that we chose,” Trump said.
Among the key roles Trump has filled, includes oversight of the Trump announced ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
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Following Trump’s criticism and Musk’s public lobbying against an initial bipartisan funding bill, that ultimately failed, Trump addressed speculation about Musk’s influence. However, he did not delve into the Congressional upheaval around the government’s budget, that ultimately saw lawmakers avoid a decision on the debt ceiling despite Trump’s pressure.
“No he’s not taking the presidency. I like having smart people. You know they’re on a new kick. Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes, and the new one is ‘President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.’ No, no, that’s not happening. But Elon’s done an amazing job. Isn’t it nice we can have smart people we can rely on?” Trump said.
The moment marked a moment for Trump to laud his victory among the conservative crowd, and reiterate his agenda focused on the economy, energy production, tougher border policies, cultural issues and ending the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, promising the crowd “common sense revolution.”
