President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Panama.
The announcement comes as Trump is sparking a feud with the U.S. ally over control of the Panama Canal.
“I am pleased to announce that Kevin Marino Cabrera will serve as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, a Country that is ripping us off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams,” Trump wrote in the Wednesday Truth Social post.
Trump last week began pushing the idea that the Panama Canal, which has been under Panamanian control since 1977 under a deal signed by former President Carter, should return to U.S. hands.
He complained of “exorbitant prices,” said the U.S. is “being ripped off,” and alleged China has undue influence over operations of the canal, which charges a fee for each vehicle that passes through.
“It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions, you gotta treat us fairly and they haven’t treated us fairly,” Trump said at Turning Point’s “American Fest.”