Five days, five Latin American countries: Marco Rubio's first trip as secretary of state
Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic will be the first stops for the Trump administration's Secretary of State.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Department of State (DOS) confirmed the itinerary for Secretary Marco Rubio's inaugural trip to Latin America, marking both his first international tour and his debut mission in office.
Between February 1 and 6, Rubio will visit Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. There he will meet with "senior officials and business leaders," according to his department, which also detailed the official's priorities:
"Stopping illegal and large-scale migration, fighting the scourge of transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers, countering China, and deepening economic partnerships to enhance prosperity in our hemisphere."
While not directly stated in the announcement, the restoration of Panama Canal sovereignty is another issue Rubio is anticipated to address during his visit to the region.
During his time in the Senate representing Florida, Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, developed a keen focus on Latin America. He took a firm stance against governments like those of Cuba and Venezuela, while also engaging with countries like Argentina under Javier Milei and Paraguay under Santiago Peña.
Latin American trips
That secretary was Philander C. Knox, who notably traveled to Panama—at a time when the U.S. was finishing construction of the canal.
Here are the inaugural destinations for the secretaries of state in the last several administrations:
- Alexander Haig (Ronald Reagan) – Canada
- James Baker (George H.W. Bush) – Canada
- Warren Christopher (Bill Clinton) – Egypt
- Colin Powell (George W. Bush) – Mexico
- Hillary Clinton (Barack Obama) – Japan
- Rex Tillerson (Donald Trump) – Germany
- Antony Blinken (Joe Biden) – Japan
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