Fact check: Donald Trump stated that 38000 American lives were lost during the construction of Panama Canal.

1. Summary of the results

Donald Trump's claim about 38,000 American lives lost during the Panama Canal construction is significantly inaccurate. Multiple expert sources confirm that:

• Only about 300 Americans died during the U.S. construction period ^{[1] [1]}
• The total death toll during the U.S. construction phase was approximately 5,609 people ^{[2] [3]}
• Less than 1,000 Americans in total died during the entire construction period ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits several crucial pieces of context:

• The construction occurred in two distinct phases:

A French phase that resulted in approximately 22,000 deaths ^[2]

An American phase with around 5,609 deaths ^{[2] [3]}

• The majority of casualties were not Americans, but rather:

West Indian laborers, primarily from Barbados ^{[1] [1]}

Spanish workers ^[4]

• The primary causes of death were:

Diseases, particularly yellow fever and malaria ^{[2] [3]}

Harsh working conditions ^[5]

• Over 55,000 workers were employed during the American construction period ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement appears to:

• Conflate different construction periods: By not distinguishing between French and American construction phases ^[2]
• Nationalize the tragedy: By attributing all deaths to Americans when the vast majority were foreign workers ^{[1] [4]}
• Inflate numbers: Multiple expert sources, including Matthew Parker, author of "Hell's Gorge: The Battle to Build the Panama Canal" ^[1], and Noel Maurer, an associate professor ^[4], confirm that Trump "severely overstated" the American death toll
• Some historians suggest the real total toll was "several times higher" than official numbers ^[5], but even these estimates don't approach Trump's claim of 38,000 American deaths