HAMILTON, Canada

US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to return Mount Denali, the tallest peak in North America, to its former name, Mount McKinley, praising the 19th-century president it was named for in 1917.

William McKinley “was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people," Trump told a crowd in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday, referring to the 2015 decision by the Barack Obama administration to officially give the Alaskan peak the name Denali, its original Indigenous name.

On McKinley, the 25th US president, who served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901, Trump said: "Now, he was a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman."

Highlighting McKinley's legacy, Trump credited him with economic achievements that benefited his successor, President Theodore Roosevelt, one of the more famous US presidents.

"So let’s say they were both excellent presidents, but McKinley did that. And that’s one of the reasons that we’re going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it. I think he deserves it," he said.

Trump's comments drew backlash from Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, writing on X: "There is only one name worthy of North America's tallest mountain: Denali - the Great One."

Murkowski is a member of Trump’s Republican Party but is known for sometimes publicly disagreeing with the president-elect.

Panama Canal

Trump raised concerns Saturday about "ridiculous" tolls for US ships passing through the Panama Canal.

He threatened to demand the canal’s return to American control if Panama failed to address the issue.

Trump described the Panama Canal as a vital national asset for the US in a post on Truth Social, emphasizing its crucial role in commerce and national security.

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous," he wrote. "This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop."

He criticized the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty, signed by President Jimmy Carter, which transferred control of the canal to Panama by 1999.

"It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said and warned about foreign influence, particularly from China. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!"

Vital route for US trade, military

Trump also suggested that if Panama could not ensure the canal's secure and efficient operation, the US would demand its return, "in full, and without question."

The canal, which handles about 5% of global maritime traffic, is a vital route for US trade and military deployment.

Trump's comments came despite Panama's robust control of the waterway, which had earned nearly $5 billion in toll revenues in the last fiscal year.

The canal remains a key passage for goods between the US and Asia, serving nations like China, Japan and South Korea.