"I've asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation!" the president wrote.

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 has for months been calling for the United States to take control of the Panama Canal but his social media post also shifted focus onto the vital Suez route. “American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.