During his inauguration address, President Donald Trump threatened to seize control of the Panama Canal, and has not ruled out using the military to take it by force if necessary. Panamanian officials are now reportedly preparing for a worst-case scenario.

PANAMA CITY — Marco Rubio’s weekend visit to Panama is set to offer clues to a pressing question: whether the next four years of American policy will more closely resemble an imperial conquest or a hardball real estate negotiation.

Marco Rubio arrived in Panama Saturday on his debut trip abroad as US secretary of state, as he looks for how to follow up on President Donald Trump's extraordinary threat to seize the Panama Canal. The State Department has also altered its travel advisory language to get rid of references to trans people,