The Panamanian president, Jose Raul Mulino, said that toll fees were regulated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), an autonomous governing body that oversees the trade route.

Trump demands U.S. ships travel free through Panama and Suez canals, citing America's role in building and protecting the world's key shipping routes.

Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social last weekend that American ships should be allowed to travel through the Panama and Suez Canals free of charge. Before returning to the White House, the billionaire had vowed that the United States would regain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal for "security purposes.