CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday his choice as United States ambassador to Panama.
Trump named Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera as his choice for the position after suggesting the United States should take control of the country. Panama Canal — a proposal he first floated this weekend when he claimed Panama is “ripping off” U.S. ships passing through the waterway.
“I am pleased to announce that Kevin Marino Cabrera will be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, a country that is defrauding us out of the Panama Canal far beyond their wildest dreams,” he said. Trump said in a statement. The president-elect added that Cabrera, who also worked on his presidential campaign in Florida, “will do a FANTASTIC job representing our nation’s interests in Panama!” »
Trump continued to tease Wednesday American territorial expansion in social media posts, criticizing the operation of the canal and doubling down on suggestions that the United States should absorb Canada and Greenland, a territory controlled by Denmark.
In a sardonic Christmas message, Trump claimed that Chinese soldiers were exploiting the Panama Canal and reiterated his criticism that Panama exploits U.S. ships that use the waterway.
“Merry Christmas to everyone, including the wonderful Chinese soldiers who lovingly, but illegally, operate the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people during its construction 110 years ago), always ensuring that the “The United States is investing billions of dollars in ‘reparations’ money, but will have absolutely no say in ‘anything,'” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
In the same message, Trump called the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “governor”, once again insinuating that Canada should become an American state. He also suggested that the citizens of Greenland “want the United States to be there, and we will.”
In another post, Trump said he spoke to hockey great Wayne Gretzky on Wednesday about running for prime minister of Canada. Trump said Gretzky was not interested in the role, but urged Canadians to rally their support for Gretzky.
Trump’s apparent desire to expand U.S. territory appears, in part, to serve as a negotiating tactic aligned with his broader goal of reshaping U.S. trade policy. Trump’s suggestion that Canada become the 51st US state comes as he threatens to raise tariffs on the country, and his call to take control of the Panama Canal was initially presented as a warning aimed at reducing fees imposed on American ships using this waterway.
It is unclear whether Trump’s expressed interest in US expansion reflects his sincere intentions. Trump’s transition team previously declined to clarify the exact motivations for his statements and recent public comments.
Trump’s Christmas social media posts also included wishes of “Merry Christmas to the crazy radical leftists” and an attack on the 37 federal inmates whom President Joe Biden sentenced on Monday. commuted from death row to life in prison.
“I refuse to wish these lucky ‘souls’ a Merry Christmas, but instead I will say: GO TO HELL!,” he said.
On Tuesday, Trump said he would direct his Justice Department to “vigorously pursue the death penalty” while criticizing Biden’s decision to remove all but three federal inmates from death row.