CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal in his first rally speech since the November election, pushed back against criticism of Elon Musk’s influence and hinted that he would soon face off with Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet.

Trump’s speech in Phoenix at a Turning Point USA gathering of conservative activists celebrating his victory last month largely reflected the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail – including lies about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election – but was punctuated by his Satisfaction with victory tempered.

“We had no riots. We had nothing. It was nice to see,” Trump said, referring to the Democrats’ concession on the 2024 election. “They just said, ‘We lost.’ And we want to try to bring everyone together.”

Trump did not address last week’s chaotic events in Washington, in which he played a central role in derailing a short-term House funding deal with the administration by declaring his opposition at the last minute – and sparking a violent social Media campaign against it, which was led by Musk. Their opposition sparked a fight that led lawmakers to approve another short-term measure without the debt ceiling suspension demanded by Trump to avert a government shutdown.

Instead, Trump vowed to keep the promises he made during the campaign and take action on immigration, energy production and a range of culture war issues, among others, on his first day in office.

Here are six key lines from Trump’s speech on Sunday:

Trump said he would consider taking back control of the Panama Canal, which he called a “vital national asset,” doubling down on social media posts he made on the subject on Saturday.

“Our navy and our trade have been treated very unfairly and carelessly. “The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous and highly unfair, especially given the extraordinary generosity that has been shown to Panama – I say very foolishly – by the United States,” Trump said. “This complete rip-off of our country will be stopped immediately.”

It was evidence of how the United States’ approach to foreign policy could change under Trump, who has shown a willingness to use bellicose rhetoric – including against allies – to achieve his goals. On his first day in office, for example, he threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is an important passage for American trade. It was built primarily by the United States and opened in 1914. President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty that began the process of transferring control of the canal to Panama in 1977, and this transfer was completed in 1999.

“It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions in it – you have to treat us fairly. And they didn’t treat us fairly,” Trump said. “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without questions.” I will not tolerate that. So to Panamanian officials, please be guided accordingly.”

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said in a video message on Sunday afternoon that the canal and the adjacent zone belong to Panama.

“The sovereignty and independence of our country are non-negotiable,” Mulino said in a statement published on X, referring to the 1977 treaty.

“Panama respects other nations and demands respect. “With the new government of the United States, I strive to preserve and maintain a good and respectful relationship,” he added. “Security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking and organized crime should be a priority on our bilateral agenda as they represent a real threat that should concern us,” Mulino said.

Trump hinted he might meet with Putin early in his presidency to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump said ending the war was “one of the things I want to do quickly” and said Putin wanted to meet with him “as soon as possible.”

“So we have to wait for it. But we have to end this war,” Trump said.

During Putin’s year-end media presentation last week, he said he was “ready” for possible talks with Trump.

Trump contradicted Democrats’ narrative that Musk was de facto president after Musk – who has spent time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago since the president-elect’s victory – helped push through the bipartisan government funding bill last week.

“No, he is not taking over the presidency. I like having smart people,” he said. “You have a new kick. “Russia, Russia, Russia,” “Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine,” all the various hoaxes. The new one is: “President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.” No, no, that’s not happening.”

Trump continued to praise Musk’s company SpaceX for advances in space travel and for its Starlink satellite technology, but reiterated that Musk “will not be president.”

“No, I can tell you this, he will not be president,” he said. “And I’m safe, do you know why? That can’t be true – he wasn’t born in this country.”

Former President Barack Obama’s administration renamed North America’s highest mountain, Mount McKinley, Denali to honor Alaska Natives who had used the name for centuries.

Trump brought up the issue after crediting President William McKinley with driving the economic prosperity that allowed President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration to begin construction of the Panama Canal.

Trump said McKinley’s name should be cleared because he was a “great president” who “deserved it.”

“McKinley was a very good, perhaps a great, president. They took its name from Mount McKinley. This is what they do to people,” Trump said.

“President McKinley was the president responsible for the creation of a huge sum of money,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re going to bring back the Mount McKinley name, because I think it deserves it.”

Trump also said he would restore the names of military bases such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the former name of what is now Fort Liberty. The name was changed in 2023 to strip the military base of its Confederate namesake.

“Woke has to stop. Because along with everything else, it is destroying our country. “We will stop waking up,” Trump said. “Woke up is nonsense.”

Trump defended his controversial choice for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – and appeared to suggest he would allow Kennedy to look for links between vaccinations and autism despite there being no evidence of the connection Kennedy has long claimed.

Trump pointed to the rise in diagnoses of autism, childhood cancer and chronic illnesses and said “something is wrong.”

“Together we will make America healthy again,” Trump said. “Something bad is happening.”

Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism has drawn attention from some Republican senators who are meeting with Trump’s Cabinet nominees ahead of confirmation hearings. Both Kennedy and Trump have tried to address those concerns in recent weeks – Trump described himself at a recent news conference as “a big supporter of the polio vaccine” and Kennedy said he was “all for” the vaccine.

Still, at the same news conference, Trump also noted higher rates of autism and said he wanted Kennedy “to come back with a report on what he thinks. We’re going to find out a lot.”

Trump again expressed openness to allowing social media app TikTok to continue operating in the U.S., suggesting the app may have helped reach some key voters.

His comments came as the Supreme Court agreed last week to decide whether a controversial ban on the social media app violates the First Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed to expedite the case and hear arguments on January 10.

Trump praised his popularity on the app and the success he had with young voters in the 2024 election, saying he needed to “start thinking about TikTok.”

“We went on TikTok and had a great response. We had billions and billions of views,” he said.

Trump said he was shown a graphic highlighting the views his campaign received there. “When I looked at it, I said, ‘Maybe we need to keep this sucker around for a while,'” he said.