Trump's 'Panama Canal China Illegal' Noriega 'Reenactment' of 1989 Invasion On December 25th last year, US President-elect Trump announced on his social media, Truth Social, "Merry Christmas to everyone, including the wonderful Chinese soldiers who are operating the Panama Canal illegally." When President Carter, a Democrat, visited Panama in June 1978 to sign a treaty to hand over the Panama Ca..