Trump's Jab at Marco Rubio During Speech Raises Eyebrows: 'Seems More Like A Threat Than a Joke'

President Donald Trump made what seemed to be a joke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his address to Congress, but many observers interpreted it differently.

"Good luck, Marco. Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong. No, Marco has been amazing and he's going to do a great job. Think of it. He got 100 votes (...) And I'm either very, very happy about that or I'm very concerned about it. But he's already proven - I mean he's a great gentleman, he's respected by everybody and we appreciate you voting for Marco. He's going to do a fantastic job," Trump said during a passage of his speech.

Trump's message was received with laughter by Republicans in the chamber, but others focused on Rubio's expression, claiming it mostly showed concern. Trump addressed Rubio while talking about his intention to "take back" control of the Panama Canal, which he has claimed is largely operated by China.

Trump seemed to get a victory in that arena on Monday, as a Hong Kong-based conglomerate agreed to sell control of a unit that operates ports near the Panama Canal.

The ports' Hong Kong-based owner, CK Hutchison, will sell the business to a consortium, including BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

The consortium agreed in principle to acquire units that hold 80% of the Hutchison Ports group, which operates 43 ports in 23 countries. They will also acquire 90% of Panama Ports Co., which operates the two ports in Balboa and Cristobal ports on the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Panama Canal. The transactions will deliver cash proceeds of $19 billion to CK Hutchison, according to Bloomberg.

Of Panama's five ports, Hutchison's are the biggest— one at each end of the canal. According to the Panama Maritime Authority, Hutchison's ports last year served vessels carrying 39 percent of the cargo containers that passed through the canal, one of the world's most vital waterways.