In fairness, the US paid for the Panama Canal and have continued to sustain it despite no "ownership".

Panama is only relevant because of the US investment in the Canal and they claim ownership when it suits them and then cry poverty every time investments need to be made.

Panama is currently playing with fire by courting foreign interest that doesn't align with the US, who are effectively their paymasters.

It's not a sudden "empire-building" move by the US. The fact that the canal exists at all has always been because of the US Empire. Panama is playing a dangerous game of FA&FO.

You can replace Panama with Ukraine, or Taiwan. The double standard is getting out of control. Respect for Trump for laying it as it is without all the BS.

To me, the canal thing is the only thing he's mentioned that is possible. There's a stipulation that does allow for that, just like there's a stipulation that the crown can do away with parliament in the UK. Doesn't mean it's an unlikely provision to be invoked without a lot of negative baggage to the point they are not likely to happen.

Trump is just throwing out every threat he can. There's simply no realistic way to unilaterally take Canada, or the canal, or Greenland.