‘He’s So Jaded!’: GOP Strategist Fires Back At CNN Panelist’s Bizarre Theory On Why Trump’s Calling Out Panama Canal

GOP strategist and CNN political commentator David Urban pushed back against former Democratic New York Rep. Max Rose on Monday after Rose speculated President-elect Donald Trump had been targeting the Panama Canal due to an alleged inside promise.

Trump, on Saturday night, posted to Truth Social, warning Panama that the United States would demand the canal back if it didn’t end its “ridiculous” fees, “knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.” On “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Rose told the panel he believed the former president was threatening the country because “someone wrote him a check or someone had a pivotal meeting with him and made a promise for a future check if he acted on this issue.”

However, Urban responded to the former lawmaker by explaining the Panama Canal’s connection to China and how China has influence over the area.

“He’s so jaded! Listen to the jaded bitter guy from Staten Island there. I used to like him until a couple minutes ago,” Urban said. “Listen, Kate, it’s important. Here’s why it’s important. There is a major player in the Panama Canal that’s not Panama, it’s China, right? So the Chinese control the two biggest ports at either end of the canal.”

“In 2017, the Panamanians rejected the notion that they rejected Taiwan as a country. They sided with China. They recognized China.They signed the Belt and Road Initiative with the Chinese in 2018, expanding their sphere of influence in an area which 70% of all traffic is U.S. traffic going through from one port to another through the Panama Canal,” Urban added.

Urban went on to call out how it could be possible for the U.S. to take the canal back and how the U.S. military could be used in the process.

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