Trump picks Miami-area county official as ambassador to Panama amid canal controversy

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

69% : Commissioner Kevin Cabrera, a Republican who won his county election two years ago after an endorsement by Trump, got the ambassador nod on Christmas Day through a social media post by the president-elect.
61% : The nomination comes days after he met with Trump at his Palm Beach private club, Mar-a-Lago.
55% : AdvertisementAdvertisement "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 his Truth Social website.
55% : In 2022, he was a lobbyist running for the open District 6 seat against a Coral Gables commissioner when a Trump endorsement vaulted Cabrera ahead in fundraising and then in votes in a district Trump won by 33 points this year.
55% : " Cabrera, born in Miami to parents who fled Cuba, was the first Republican commissioner to endorse Trump in a GOP primary where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was briefly favored to win.
55% : In Cabrera's 2022 run for the District 6 seat representing parts of Coral Gables, Hialeah and Miami, he leaned on his backing of Trump, and made "Dade First" his campaign slogan and Miami-Dade First the name of his political committee.
53% : Since 2023, Cabrera has worked as Florida director for the America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with Trump.
45% : The nomination comes as Trump is saying the United States should retake control of the Panama Canal over fees charged U.S. ships in the waterway.
32% : Trump is warning Panama that the United States will attempt to retake control of the Panama Canal if fees charged U.S. vessels aren't reduced.
15% : This week, Trump posted on Truth Social that fees charged U.S. ships transiting the canal are "ridiculous" and warned the United States would take back the waterway if the costs don't go down.

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