Miami-Dade County Commission District 6 candidate Kevin Marino Cabrera defeats Coral Gables Commissioner Jorge Fors on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Afterwards, celebrate at Beat Culture Brewery in Miami.
Al Diaz | Miami Herald | Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Panama days after hinting at The United States should control 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 cheated us on the Panama Canal beyond their wildest dreams,” Trump said. release Wednesday night on social media platform Truth Social.
“Few people understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin – he will do an excellent job representing our country’s interests in Panama!” he added.
Cabrera, a Miami native, won the county election two years ago. A staunch Trump loyalist, he served as Florida director for Trump’s 2020 campaign and as a member of the Republican National Committee’s platform committee.
according to his Official pageBorn to Cuban exiles, he graduated from Miami Dade College and Florida International University.
His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
Ahead of Trump’s announcement, he mentioned the Panama Canal in a series of lengthy social media posts over Christmas and suggested the United States should expand territory by controlling the waterway as well as Greenland and Canada.
On “Truth Society,” Trump wished everyone a Merry Christmas “including the wonderful Chinese soldiers who lovingly but illegally operate the Panama Canal.”
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has repeatedly refuted Trump’s remarks, stressing that the canal is an integral part of the country.
“Our country’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable,” Mulino said in a video posted on social media over the weekend.
The Panama Canal is an important trade route originally built by the United States in 1904.
The waterway has been under Panamanian control since 1999 after the Carter administration negotiated and signed two treaties with Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos in 1977.
The Panama Canal Authority is an independent government agency that currently manages the canal.
In recent years, China has tried to expand its influence through infrastructure projects, including a conference center on the Pacific side of the canal and two ports operated by Hong Kong contractors.
Trump also mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom he called “the governor.” and again suggest The United States could annex Canada.
“If Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be reduced by more than 60 percent, their businesses would instantly double in size, and they would have military protection unmatched by any other country in the world,” he said.
Trump continued his speech, addressing “the people of Greenland, who the United States needs for national security purposes and who want the United States there, and we will too!”
In response, Greenland Prime Minister Mutt Egged told Trump in written comments on December 23 that the Danish territory “is not for sale and will never be for sale,” according to Reuters.
