Donald Trump threatens Panama with an artificial intelligence image of the American flag on the channel

Donald Trump tweeted threats against the country of Panama over the weekend, indicating in his Truth Social posts that he would take control of the Panama Canal if his demands were not met. The president-elect even included an AI-generated image of an American flag in the center of the channel, making it the second time Trump has threatened an allied nation with AI images after making a similar threat against Canada.

“Welcome to the US channel!” Trump wrote on SundayThis was in a message that appeared on several social media platforms, including: Instagram and Facebook.

The posts included an image that, at first glance, did not appear to be generated by artificial intelligence. But the bottom right corner includes the word Grok, a generative AI tool created by X that is a chatbot and allows people to create images with text prompts. The Grok watermark is cropped from platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

It’s not immediately clear where Trump or his social media team found the photo, but the president-elect has been known to post incendiary images on Twitter, especially when they are hateful and racist. Trump posted pictures of artificial intelligence Cats and dogs In September when he helped spread the lie that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating pets.

Trump first suggested he would try to gain ownership of the Panama Canal the day before in a message spread across two Truth Social posts on Saturday.

“The Panama Canal is a vital national asset to the United States, given its critical role in the American economy and national security,” Trump wrote. “A secure Panama Canal is critical to U.S. commerce, and the Navy’s rapid deployment, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, dramatically reduces shipping times to U.S. ports.”

The posts then moved on to justify why the United States controlled the Panama Canal, just as it did when it was built in the early 1900s. France began the project in the 1880s, but gave up until the United States took over in 1904 and completed construction of the canal a decade later. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty in the 1970s to return control of the canal to Panama, but Trump wants to undo that.

Trump said, “The tariffs imposed by Panama are ridiculous, especially considering the extraordinary generosity that the United States has extended to Panama.” books. “This complete ‘fraud’ of our country will stop immediately.”

Trump then went on to say that unless concessions were made, the United States would “demand” control of the canal, essentially a threat of war with a foreign ally.

“The United States has a vested interest in the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that has always been understood. We will never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!” Trump books.

“It is not given for the benefit of others, but only as a symbol of cooperation with us and Panama. If the ethical and legal principles of this generous gesture of giving are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in full, without a doubt. To the officials of Panama, please direct accordingly!” he continued. Trump.

Panama’s president clearly took Trump’s threats seriously, defending his country’s territorial integrity in a video Published to X.

“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas is part of Panama, and will remain so,” President Jose Raul Molino said Sunday, according to an English translation released by Panama. Bloomberg.

🇵🇦 Message from President Jose Raul Molino 🇵🇦 pic.twitter.com/DMXU8qAuNT

– Jose Raul Mulino (JoseRaulMulino) December 22, 2024

Trump responded to Molyneux with more unhinged nonsense at an event called AmericaFest, organized by far-right political organizations Turning Point USA.

“Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?” Trump said. “Because we get robbed in the Panama Canal as much as we get robbed anywhere else.”

Trump echoed statements he had previously made on social media during his live speech.

“If the moral and legal principles of this generous gesture of giving are not followed, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, quickly and without question,” Trump said. CBC.

After the speech, Trump wrote Social truth “We’ll see about that,” he said in response to President Molyneux’s letter, explaining that he would be as aggressive as possible.

This is not the first time Trump has used AI-generated images to threaten a foreign country with invasion. The billionaire had previously posted an artificial intelligence photo of himself standing on a mountain and holding the American flag and the European Matterhorn at a distance. It appears that the image was meant to symbolize Trump’s invasion of Canada, even though the image clearly represents natural formations in Europe.

Trump also included a threat against Greenland on Sunday in his announcement of Ken Howery’s appointment as ambassador to Denmark.

“For purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump said. books. “Ken will do a great job representing the interests of the United States.”

Some commentators insist that Trump’s threats against foreign countries are just trolling or a “joke,” but they appear to be in complete denial about what the country actually faces in the coming months and years. We will soon find out if Trump is trying to make any moves against allied countries. It’s a whole new world. No one knows for sure what lies ahead.