New Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Panama for his first international trip as the country’s top diplomat, Fox News has learned.
Although details are still being finalized, the visit could take place as early as next week.
The planned trip comes after repeated vows from President Donald Trump – returning to the White House on Monday – to retake the Panama Canal.
Trump mentioned the Panama Canal again during his inaugural address Monday, saying it was now in China’s hands and pledging to take it back.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being sworn in by Vice President JD Vance in the Ceremonial Office of the Vice President in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Tuesday, January 21, 2025 , in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“China operates the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded forcefully to Trump’s comments, saying, “we reject in their entirety everything Mr. Trump has said.” First, because it is false and second, because the Panama 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 Gatun Lake near the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, December 28, 2024. (ARNULFO FRANCO/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s, under President Theodore Roosevelt, as it sought ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military ships between its coasts. Washington ceded control of the waterway to Panama on December 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by then-President Jimmy Carter.
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News of Rubio’s trip was first reported by Politico and could include other Central American countries like Guatemala and El Salvador, where Rubio is expected to address a top priority of curbing mass migration that he mentioned 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 on the White House campus, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, under the look from his wife, Jeanette Rubio. . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Fox News that “Secretary Rubio is prioritizing the region because it’s where we live,” adding “we will not continue to ignore the region as other administrations have done.
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She added: “Engaging with our neighbors is a critical component in addressing migration, supply chains, and economic growth, which are essential to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of a foreign policy focused on America strong, prosperous and secure. »
Adam Shaw of Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
