Pete Hegseth: “President Trump said in his State of the Union address…”

“Thanks so much for joining us. Of course. Tell us about the trip and what are the most important takeaways that we need to understand about the Panama Canal? Well, President Trump said in his State of the Union address, China has too much influence over the Panama Canal and America is going to take it back. And that's exactly what I was charged to do. What we're continuing to do. China's influence cannot control our own backyard, especially a critical waterway, key terrain like the Panama canal.” (01:55–02:01)

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.