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

On Christmas Day, President-elect Donald Trump announced that Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera has been chosen to serve as the next American ambassador to Panama. Trump has threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal, claiming that the Central American country is “ripping off” American ships that use the waterway. This declaration coincided with his threats. Rene García, who has been with 34-year-old Cabrera at the Miami-Dade County Commission for the past two years, stated, “I believe that Donald Trump made the right choice.”

According to Garcia, “I think Kevin is the right person to try to renegotiate that and make sure he represents this country’s interests in Panama.” The Cuban American local politician is capable of taking on the issue in the international arena. Cabrera will perform a “FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!” the president-elect wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “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 to Truth Social. “Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin – He will do a FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!”

Before becoming the presidency for a second term on January 20, 2025, Trump has already appointed a number of staff members. The U.S. Senate must confirm Cabrera’s appointment. Cabrera has served as District 6’s county commissioner since 2022. District 6 includes portions of Coral Gables, Hialeah, and the City of Miami. In the 2022 contest for the seat, Cabrera comfortably defeated Jorge Fors, a Gables commissioner at the time, with Trump’s support. If the board decides not to hold a special election to finish out the final two years of Cabrera’s first term, the remaining 12 county commissioners will select his replacement.

The father of Kevin Marino Cabrera is a Cuban exile.
“As a first-generation American and the son of Cuban exiles, I am profoundly grateful for everything this country has given me,” Cabrera, 34, said in a statement after Trump’s declaration. I’m excited about the nomination process and meeting with the Senate to talk about my dedication to furthering American interests abroad,” he continued.

According to Eduardo Gamarra, a professor of international relations at Florida International University (FIU), “the new ambassador faces a critical mission there in trying to negotiate with lowering of the fees.” Trump claimed the United States should pay less for building the canal 110 years ago or recover it, but he reiterates that the United States and Panama signed a contract in the 20th century that established the canal belonged to the Central American nation. “I don’t believe that fees will cause the United States to invade Panama. At this point, it might compel the Panamanian government to lower the prices, but if it does, it will probably lower the fees for everyone, not just Americans.

He was the Florida director of Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and a former lobbyist before serving as a Miami-Dade county commissioner. He supported a proposal in November for Miami-Dade to honor Hialeah’s establishment of President Donald J. Trump Avenue. The county commission gave its approval. The name change for the 4-mile road was approved by the commission 9-1 earlier this month. “Thank you for this amazing distinction, President Trump. In his statement, Commissioner Cabrera stated, “I am excited and motivated to become the new ambassador to Panama and join your administration.

“I pledge to back President Trump’s America First agenda and will put forth endless effort every day to support his audacious foreign policy strategy. We will work together to make sure that American leadership, freedom, and strength continue to create a better future for everybody,” Cabrera added. Panama Canal fees were deemed “ridiculous” by Trump. Trump has referred to the prices that American ships pay to use the canal as “ridiculous” and threatened to reclaim the waterway if the rates don’t decrease.

“Happy Christmas to everyone, especially the amazing Chinese soldiers who lawfully and affectionately run the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people when it was built 110 years ago), always ensuring that the United States contributes billions of dollars in “maintenance” funds, but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social.  The 51-mile Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, began construction in 1904 and became operational ten years later. Before a number of treaties eventually gave Panama jurisdiction over the canal in 1977, the United States maintained control over it. Following a period of collaborative administration, full control was transferred in 1999.