Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Central America comes after President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to take the Panama Canal back.

Newly minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be heading to Panama during his first trip as head of the Trump administration's State Department. President Trump, of course, has spoken at length about his desire to retake the Panama Canal,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Panama late next week in his first official diplomatic trip late, amid heightened tensions over President Trump’s threats to retake the Panama

Marco Rubio's first trip as U.S. secretary of state to Central America to address migration and Panama Canal concerns.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama on his first trip abroad as the top U.S. diplomat after President

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first official trip abroad next week to Central America, including a stop in Panama, which President Donald Trump has riled with talk of trying to reclaim the Panama Canal.

The visit follows controversial remarks by President Donald Trump last month claiming that "wonderful soldiers of China" were operating the Panama Canal "lovingly but illegally." Trump also threatened that the US would "retake" the key canal, which it originally built in the early 20th century.

The new US secretary of state is departing from recent precedent by not making Asia his first overseas destination.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio would travel to Panama as well as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Panama on his first overseas trip amid President Trump’s controversial remarks about reclaiming the Panama Canal. Rubio's itinerary includes Guatemala, the Dominican Republic,