Who is Kevin Marino Cabrera? Trump picks Miami commissioner for ambassador to Panama

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Who is Kevin Marino Cabrera? Trump picks Miami commissioner for ambassador to Panama

South Florida’s Kevin Cabrera picked to be US ambassador to Panama

South Florida’s Kevin Cabrera picked to be US ambassador to Panama

03:12

MIAMI – President-elect Donald Trump said on Christmas Day that he has selected Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to become the next U.S. ambassador to Panama. 

The announcement came as Trump is threatening to retake control of the Panama Canal because, according to him, the Central American nation is “ripping off” American ships that pass through the waterway.

Posting a message on his social network 

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, the president-elect said Cabrera will do a “FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!” 

Trump selects Miami-Dade commissioner to become Panama’s ambassador

00:59

“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 on Truth Social. “Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin – He will do a FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!” 

Trump has already made a series of staff picks before taking over as president for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025. Cabrera’s nomination will require U.S. Senate confirmation.

Since 2022, Cabrera has been the county commissioner of District 6, which

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. With Trump’s endorsement, Cabrera easily defeated Jorge Fors, then a Gables commissioner, in the 2022 race for the seat.

The remaining 12 county commissioners will name his replacement if the board opts not to call a special election to fill out the remaining two years in Cabrera’s first term.

Kevin Marino Cabrera is the son of Cuban exiles

“As a first-generation American and the son of Cuban exiles, I am profoundly grateful for everything this country has given me,” 34-year-old Cabrera said in a statement following Trump’s announcement. 

“Representing the United States abroad is a duty I take with the utmost pride. I look forward to the nomination process and engaging with the Senate to discuss my commitment to advancing America’s interests on the global stage,” he added.

Prior to being a Miami-Dade county commissioner, he was the Florida director of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and is a former lobbyist.

In November, he sponsored an initiative that Miami-Dade would recognize Hialeah’s creation of President Donald J. Trump Avenue. The county commission approved. Earlier this month, the commission overwhelmingly passed 9-1. the name change for the 4-mile road. 

“Thank you, President Trump, for this incredible honor. I am eager and energized to join your administration as the next ambassador to Panama,” Commissioner Cabrera said in his statement. 

“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. Together, we will ensure that American strength, freedom, and leadership continue to shape a brighter future for all,” Cabrera continued. 

Trump called Panama Canal fees “ridiculous”

Trump has called the fees charged U.S. ships transiting the canal as “ridiculous” and warned the U.S. would take back the waterway if the costs don’t go down. 

“Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything,'” Trump

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. 

Construction of the 51-mile Panama Canal, which joins the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was started in 1904 and opened for use 10 years later.  

The U.S. controlled the canal until 1977 when a series of treaties gradually transferred authority to Panama. Full control was handed over in 1999, after a ******* of joint administration.  

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