Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Panama in the coming weeks, fleshing out President Donald Trump’s push to regain control of the Panama Canal.
The anticipated visit to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic will mark Rubio’s first trip abroad since the Senate confirmed his nomination Monday.
The news that a visit to Panama appears to be Rubio’s pick for his first foreign trip carries heavy weight, given Trump’s highly publicized angling to return authority over the canal to the United States. A strategic trip to Panama affords Rubio the opportunity to negotiate Trump’s proposal with the country, whose leadership has adamantly opposed suggestions that it should hand over the canal.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed Rubio would “visit the Western Hemisphere,” in comments to the Washington Examiner that characterized the trip as necessary in the “pursuit of foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe."
“Engaging with our neighbors is a vital element in addressing migration, supply chains, and economic growth,” she said.
Rubio's inaugural trip abroad will likely take place from late January to early February, according to Politico.
Trump first floated taking back operational control of Panama’s key waterway in December 2024, arguing that the fees Panama charges to U.S. vessels passing through the canal were exorbitant.
During his inaugural address Monday, Trump made it a priority to reiterate pledges to take the canal back. He slammed former President Jimmy Carter for handing the reins to Panama in 1979 after the U.S. “spent more money than ever spent on a project before and lost 38,000 lives in the building” of the critical waterway.
He continued to suggest that China, a country Rubio is known to view with deep suspicion, had taken over the Panama Canal.
“We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made, and Panama’s promise to us has been broken,” Trump said. “The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form, and that includes the United States Navy. And, above all, China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama.”
If concerns about China's influence over the operation of the Panama Canal gain traction, Rubio would likely be a critical ally in Trump's battle to reclaim the strategic waterway.
During his Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month, Rubio stressed concerns that the 21st century would be defined by the competition and possible war between the U.S. and China.
“The Communist Party of China is the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this country has ever confronted,” he told lawmakers.
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Should the U.S. take back control of the Panama Canal, the move could have a crippling effect on China's economy, according to experts.
Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the South China Morning Post that if the U.S. were to make the move, it would pose “very big constraints” on China’s shipping and economic cooperation with Panama and Latin American countries.