Marco Rubio set to visit Panama on first official trip as Secretary of State as Trump pushes taking over the Canal
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Rubio’s trip through Central America will come as his boss has refused to rule out military takeover of Panama Canal. Marco Rubio’s first official trip as secretary of State will be to one of several areas in the western hemisphere turned into a political football by his boss over the transition period.
![[Unlike many of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, Marco Rubio sailed though the confirmation process.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/15/15/2193459100.jpg)
The government of Panama, who have controlled the waterway since 1977, hiked fees beginning on January 1 after losing a third of their ship traffic in 2024, with droughts causing low water levels in the Canal and traffic jams. Any ship that arrives at the Canal and needs a last-minute reservation will face even higher penalties. A regular vessel will face a $25,000 tariff, more than double the normal rate, the outlet added.
Trump has said that he will “demand” the Canal’s return to the United States if Panamanian commerce authorities do not lower fees imposed on ships passing through the Canal. “Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way,” wrote the president on Truth Social in December. “The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.”.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” he said. He took the issue even further during his inaugural address on Monday, a free-wheeling diatribe during which the new president swiped at a broad range of political enemies.
