Trump Taps Miami-Dade Commissioner As Panama Ambassador After Row Over Canal

President-elect Donald Trump on Christmas day nominated a Miami-Dade County commissioner to serve as the next ambassador to Panama.

Trump announced his nomination of Kevin Cabrera in a post on Truth Social. The nomination comes as Trump and Panama’s president trade barbs over Trump’s call to reduce prices for U.S. ships traveling through 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. “Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin – He will do a FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!”

Cabrera, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been a staunch Trump ally. He won the Miami-Dade County District 6 commissioner’s seat on the back of a Trump endorsement. Trump won District 6 by 33 points in the 2024 presidential election. Cabrera was the first GOP commissioner in Florida to back Trump in the 2024 Republican primary against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Cabrera served as Trump’s 2020 campaign director and, later, as the Florida director of the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank. He also serves as vice chairman of Miami-Dade County’s International Trade Consortium.

Cabrera accepted the nomination in a Wednesday statement. He did not address Trump’s recent spat with the Panamanian government or give his thoughts on the future of the Panama Canal.

“I am committed to supporting President Trump’s America First vision and will work tirelessly every day to uphold his bold approach to international diplomacy,” Cabrera said in a statement, according to the Miami Herald. “Representing the United States abroad is a duty I take with the utmost pride.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Cabrera will likely serve underneath another Florida native, Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee to be the next head of the State Department.

Last week, Trump said that the U.S. could retake control of the Panama Canal unless rates for U.S. shipping passing through it are reduced.

“Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop,” Trump said in a statement.

Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, addressed Trump’s comments in a statement a day later. The statement, which did mention Trump by name, promised that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA, and will continue to be.”

“The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable,” Mulino said.