Newly sworn Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Panama on his first international trip as the country’s top diplomat, Fox News has learned.
The visit could take place as early as next week, although details are still being worked out.
The planned visit comes after President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House on Monday, has repeatedly vowed to take back the Panama Canal.
Trump mentioned the Panama Canal again in his inaugural address on Monday, claiming it was now in Chinese hands and vowing to take it back.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in by Vice President Vance in the Vice Presidential Ceremony Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, January 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“China is operating the Panama Canal. We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
Panamanian President José Raul Mulino responded strongly to Trump’s remarks on Wednesday, saying: “We completely reject everything Mr. Trump said. First, because it is wrong; and second, because Panama The canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama.
Marshall Islands cargo ship Cape Hellas (left) and Portuguese cargo ship MSC Elma sail on Lake Gatun near the Agua Clara Lock of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, on December 28, 2024. (Arnulfo Franco/AFP via Getty Images)
The canal was built in the early 1900s by the United States under then-President Theodore Roosevelt, who was looking for ways to facilitate passage of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the Panama waterway on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
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Rubio’s trip, first reported by Politico and could include other Central American countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador, is expected to address his top priority of curbing mass migration, which he outlined earlier this week.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Marco Rubio was sworn in with his wife, Jeanette Rubio, as witness. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Fox News that “Secretary Rubio is prioritizing the region because this is where we live,” adding that “we will not continue to neglect the region like other administrations have.”
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“Engagement with our neighbors is an important element in addressing immigration, supply chain and economic growth issues that are key to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of a foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous and secure,” she added.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
