The new Minister of Foreign Affairs who was sworn in Marco Rubio He will travel to Panama on his first international trip as the country's top diplomat, Fox News has learned.
Although the details are still being worked out, the visit could take place as early as next week.
The planned trip comes after repeated promises President Donald Trump — who returned to the White House on Monday — to restore the Panama Canal.
Trump mentioned the Panama Canal again during his inauguration speech on Monday, claiming it was now in China's hands and vowing to take it back.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after being 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. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said: “China runs the Panama Canal. We did not give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we will take it back.”
Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino responded strongly to Trump's statements on Wednesday, saying: “We completely reject everything that Mr. Trump said. First, because he is a liar, and second, because the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama.” ”
The Marshall Islands freighter Cape Hellas (left) and the Portuguese freighter MSC Elma sail in Gatun Lake near the Agua Clara locks of the Panama Canal in Colon City, Panama, on December 28, 2024. (Arnulfo Franco/AFP via Getty Images)
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s under then-President Theodore Roosevelt, as it was looking for ways to facilitate the passage of commercial and military ships between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on December 31, 1999, under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
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Politico was first to report news of Rubio's trip and it 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 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 on the White House campus, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, as his wife, Janet Rubio, looks on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Secretary Rubio is prioritizing the region because it is where we live,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told Fox News, adding, “We will not continue to ignore the region as other administrations have done.”
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“Engaging with our neighbors is a vital component of addressing immigration, supply chains, and economic growth, which are central to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of a foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe,” she added.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
