Since launching his career in Republican politics nearly a decade ago, Donald Trump has never taken much of an interest in the Panama Canal. A search of his tweets, for example, turned up exactly zero references to the canal.
That changed late last week, however, when the president-elect published a couple of unexpected items to his social media platform, declaring his belief that the Panama Canal is “a VITAL National Asset for the United States.” He added that he’s prepared to “demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.”
This was not, evidently, a passing thought. Trump soon after started making public comments about Panamanian control of the canal, adding that without changes to shipping costs and fees, he “will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States.”
On Christmas Day, he published a head-shaking follow-up missive that included false claims about Chinese soldiers “who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.”
I won’t pretend to know why this has suddenly become Trump’s latest fixation. What’s more, given that the United States signed a ratified treaty that ensures Panamanian control of the canal, it’s a mystery as to how, exactly, Trump intends to pursue his newfound goals.
But it was against this backdrop that the incoming American president made a notable announcement on Christmas day. NBC News reported:
President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for American ambassador to Panama, days after suggesting that the United States should take 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 posted on the social media platform Truth Social late Wednesday.
The fact that the online announcement took yet another rhetorical shot at the Panamanian government was a timely reminder that the next U.S. ambassador to the Central American country will face a real diplomatic challenge. As for whether or not Cabrera, whose prospective nomination will require Senate confirmation, is up to the task, The Miami Herald highlighted a notable element of the would-be ambassador’s recent record. Critics called Cabrera extreme for his role in a 2018 protest of a Nancy Pelosi visit to Coral Gables organized by the local GOP that also drew members of the far-right Proud Boys organization. Video showed Cabrera and others banging on the door of a Democratic campaign office and demanding Pelosi and other Democrats inside “open up.”
Oh. In other words, as Trump targets Panama with needlessly caustic bombast, he also appears to have chosen a Miami Republican who might not be especially well suited for a job in diplomacy. What could possibly go wrong?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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