President Trump is reportedly dispatching his newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama for his first foreign trip. Here's what's at stake.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that President Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland and the Panama Canal “is not a joke” and vital to US national security interests. “This is not a joke,

This is not a joke,” Rubio said “The Megyn Kelly Show" on SiriusXM. "This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.”

Some of Trumps threats to take over Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal are based on actual U.S. strategic goals. Others are just idiotic.

In his 2nd term as president, Donald Trump has entertained proposals to acquire Greenland from Denmark, make Canada the 51st US state, and seize control of the Panama Canal - Anadolu Ajansı

The Panamanian government formally raised concerns with the United Nations over President Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal, noting any threat of force would violate rules. In

The top US diplomat said President Donald Trump’s proposal to buy Greenland “is not a joke” because of the risk that China would station resources on the island that threaten American security and the importance of Arctic shipping lanes for energy exports.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserts that President Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland and reasserting control over the Panama Canal stems from legitimate national security threats posed by China’s growing influence in these strategic areas.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino rejected negotiations over ownership of the Panama Canal, in the face of President Trump’s fixation on the U.S. retaking the trade waterway. Mulino’s

Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks soon on his inaugural trip as the United States’ top diplomat. His first stop, Panama could prove to be the most contentious on the itinerary.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal