President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice for U.S. ambassador to Panama just days after suggesting the United States should take control of the Panama Canal.
“I am pleased to announce that Kevin Marino Cabrera will serve as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, a country that is ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth. Social late Wednesday.
“Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin – he will do a FANTASTIC job representing our nation’s interests in Panama!” he added.
Cabrera, a Miami native, won his provincial election two years ago. A steadfast Trump loyalist, he previously served as Florida state director for Trump’s 2020 campaign and as a member of the Republican National Committee Platform Committee.
According to his official page, he was born into Cuban exiles and graduated from Miami Dade College and Florida International University.
His nomination must still be confirmed by the Senate.
Trump’s announcement comes after he mentioned the Panama Canal in a series of lengthy social media posts on Christmas Day, suggesting the US should expand its territory by taking control of Greenland, Canada and also the canal.
On Truth Social, Trump wished everyone a Merry Christmas, “including the great soldiers of China who lovingly, but illegally, operate the Panama Canal.”
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has repeatedly pushed back against Trump’s statements by emphasizing that the canal is an integral part of the country.
“The sovereignty and independence of our country is non-negotiable,” Mulino said in a video posted on social media last weekend.
The Panama Canal is a crucial trade route originally built by the United States in 1904.
The waterway has been under Panama’s control since 1999 after negotiations between the Carter administration and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos led to the creation of two treaties in 1977.
The Panama Canal Authority, an independent government agency, now manages the canal.
In recent years, China has sought to expand its influence there through infrastructure projects, including a convention center on the Pacific side of the canal and two ports operated by a Hong Kong-based contractor.
Trump also mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom he called “governor,” and once again suggested the U.S. could annex Canada.
“If Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world,” he said.
Trump continued his post by addressing “the people of Greenland who need the United States for national security purposes and want the US to be there, and we will!”
Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede told Trump in a written response on December 23 that the Danish territory “is not for sale and will never be for sale,” according to Reuters.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
