6 key lines from Trump’s Sunday speech to conservative activists in Phoenix
CNN
By Eric Bradner and Aaron Pellish, CNN
(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday, in his first rally-like speech since the November election, threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, pushed back on criticism of Elon Musk’s influence, and suggested he could soon meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s speech in Phoenix, at a Turning Point USA gathering of conservative activists celebrating his victory last month, largely echoed the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail — including lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 election — but were tempered with his satisfaction at having won.
“We had no riots. We had no anything. It was a beautiful thing to watch,” Trump said, noting Democrats’ concession of the 2024 election. “They just said, ‘We lost.’ And we want to try bringing everybody together.”
Trump did not address the chaotic past week in Washington, which saw him play a central role in scuttling a House short-term government funding deal with a last-minute declaration of his opposition — and a ferocious social media campaign led by Musk against it. Their opposition set off a scramble that led lawmakers to approve a different short-term measure, without the debt ceiling suspension Trump had demanded, to avert a government shutdown.
Instead, Trump vowed to keep the promises he made on the campaign trail and to take action on his firsts day in office on, among other things, immigration, energy production and a series of culture war issues.
Here are six key lines from Trump’s speech on Sunday:
Panama Canal
Trump said he would consider retaking control of the Panama Canal, which he referred to as a “vital national asset,” doubling down on social media posts he’d made on the topic Saturday.
“Our Navy and commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama — I say, very foolishly, by the United States,” Trump said. “This complete rip-off of our country will immediately stop.”
It was a demonstration of how the United States’ approach to foreign policy could shift under Trump, who has shown a willingness to use bellicose rhetoric — even toward allies — to accomplish his goals. He’s threatened 25% tariffs, for example, on Canada and Mexico on day 1 of his administration.
The Panama Canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is a vital passage for American commerce that was built principally by the United States and opened in 1914. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty that began the process of transferring control of the canal to Panama in 1977, and that transfer was finalized in 1999.
“It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions — you’ve got to treat us fairly. And they haven’t treated us fairly,” Trump said. “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question. I’m not going to stand for it. So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.”
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino stated in a video message Sunday afternoon that the Canal and its adjacent zone belong to Panama.
“The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable,” Mulino said in a statement posted on X, pointing to the 1977 treaty.
“Panama respects other nations and demands respect. With the new government of the United States, I aspire to preserve and maintain a good and respectful relationship,” he added. “Security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking and organized crime should be a priority on our bilateral agenda, as they are a real threat that should concern us,” Mulino said.
Putin meeting
Trump suggested he could meet with Putin early in his presidency as he seeks to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump said bringing the war to an end is “one of the things I want to do quickly,” and said Putin wants to meet with him “as soon as possible.”
“So we have to wait for this. But we have to end that war,” Trump said.
During Putin’s year-end media availability last week, he said he’s “ready” for potential talks with Trump.
Musk’s influence
Trump pushed back on Democrats’ characterization of Musk as acting as the de facto president, after Musk — who has spent much time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago since the president-elect’s victory — helped tank the bipartisan government funding bill last week.
“No, he’s not taking the presidency. I like having smart people,” he said. “They’re on a new kick. ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ ‘Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine,’ all the different hoaxes. The new one is ‘President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.’ No, no, that’s not happening.”
Trump went on to praise Musk’s company, SpaceX, for making advancements in space travel and for its Starlink satellite technology, but again reiterated that Musk is “not going to be president.”
“No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you,” he said. “And I’m safe, you know why? He can’t be — he wasn’t born in this country.”
Renaming Denali
Former President Barack Obama’s administration renamed the highest mountain peak in North America, Mount McKinley, to Denali to honor Alaska’s native population, which had used the name for centuries.
Trump arrived at the topic after crediting President William McKinley with spurring the economic prosperity that allowed President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration to begin construction of the Panama Canal.
Trump said McKinley should have his name restored because he was a “great president” who “deserves it.”
“McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name off Mount McKinley. That’s what they do to people,” Trump said.
“President McKinley was the president that was responsible for creating a vast sum of money,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons that we’re going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it.”
Trump also said he would restore the names of military bases like North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, the former name of what’s now Fort Liberty. The name was changed in 2023 to strip the military base of its Confederate namesake.
“Woke has to stop. Because along with everything else, it’s destroying our country. We’re going to stop woke,” Trump said. “Woke is bullsh*t.”
Vaccine skepticism
Trump defended his controversial pick for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and seemed to suggest he would allow Kennedy to probe for links between vaccines and autism, despite no evidence supporting the connection that Kennedy has long claimed exists.
Trump pointed to rises in diagnoses of autism, childhood cancer and chronic diseases, and said that “something’s wrong.”
“Together, we’re going to make America healthy again,” Trump said. “Something bad is happening.”
Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism has been a source of focus for some Republican senators who are meeting with Trump’s Cabinet nominees ahead of confirmation hearings. Both Kennedy and Trump have in recent weeks sought to address those concerns — with Trump at a recent news conference describing himself as a “a big believer in the polio vaccine” and Kennedy saying he’s “all for” the vaccine.
Still, at the same news conference, Trump similarly noted higher autism rates, and said he wants Kennedy to “come back with a report as to what he thinks. We’re going to find out a lot.”
TikTok’s future
Trump again expressed openness to allowing the social media app TikTok to continue operating in the United States, suggesting that the app may have helped reach some key voters.
His comments come as the Supreme Court last week agreed to decide whether a controversial ban on the social media app violates the First Amendment. The high court agreed to expedite the case and hear arguments on January 10.
Trump touted his popularity on the app and the gains he made with young voters in the 2024 election, saying he is “going to have to start thinking about TikTok.”
“We did go on TikTok, and we had a great response. We had billions and billions of views,” he said.
Trump said he was shown a chart highlighting the views his campaign had received there. “As I looked at it I said, ‘Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while,’” he said.
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