President Donald Trump has refused to rule out using American military force to regain control of the Panama Canal and occupy Greenland, citing economic security as a driver.
At a press conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, the incoming U.S. president explicitly declined to give any guarantees that he would not use military or economic coercion when asked about his plans for Panama and Greenland.
In response to a reporter’s question, President Trump said, “I can’t guarantee either of those things.” “But I can tell you this: We need them for our economic security.”
The remarks came during a rambling session with reporters at a Florida resort as President Trump prepares to return to the White House later this month with an agenda of strong American nationalism. This will probably set off a diplomatic alarm bell around the world.
President Trump has claimed that the Panama Canal, which was transferred to Panama’s control in 1999 under a 1977 treaty, is “operated by China,” but this claim does not suggest returning the strategic waterway to U.S. control. This came about after repeated requests.
President Trump said, “The Panama Canal was built for our military. “Look, the Panama Canal is extremely important to our country. China runs it. China! And we gave it to Panama.” It was not given to China.”
Regarding Greenland, President Trump threatened economic retaliation against Denmark, saying he would “impose very high tariffs on Denmark” if the country resisted his territorial ambitions.
His tough speech extended northward, reiterating his interest in using “economic power” to turn Canada into an American nation and criticizing U.S. military support for one of its closest allies.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected Trump’s comments, saying, “There is no snowballing chance that Canada will become part of the United States.”
President Trump was speaking as his son Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, where he claimed to be visiting Greenland purely as a tourist. He reportedly handed out “Be Great Again” hats.
Video footage showed the former US president calling his son’s cell phone and addressing the group over lunch: “We’re going to treat you well.”
The dual focus on Panama and Greenland represents an incomprehensible attempt to expand U.S. territorial control in the name of national and economic security. The Panama Canal was previously under US control, but Greenland remains an autonomous territory of Denmark, which has repeatedly rejected US offers.
President Trump’s comments follow a series of increasingly divisive statements about the canal, including a recent threat that the U.S. “demands that the Panama Canal be returned completely, promptly and without question to the United States.” It belongs to
Panamanian President Jose Raúl Mulino rejected Trump’s request and declared that “every square meter” of the canal would remain under Panama’s sovereignty.
The exchange marks a dramatic escalation in the rhetoric surrounding the vital seaway, which the United States first built in 1914 and operated for most of the 20th century. This confrontational stance reflects the tensions that led to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.
His comments are particularly concerning given the history of U.S. military intervention in Panama.
In December 1989, the United States launched Operation Justice to overthrow Panama’s military dictator Manuel Noriega, deploying 9,000 troops in addition to the 12,000 U.S. military personnel already in the country. It started. The invasion resulted in the deaths of 23 U.S. military personnel and an estimated 500 Panamanian civilians and was condemned by the Organization of American States and the European Parliament as a violation of international law.
It also led to Noriega’s dismissal, and he was later sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug trafficking.
Trump has also ramped up pressure elsewhere, hinting that Canada could become the “51st province” and derisively referring to outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “the governor.”
In an X post Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Trudeau strongly pushed back against President Trump’s proposal, saying, “There is no snowballing chance that Canada will become part of the United States.” Workers and communities in both countries benefit from being each other’s largest trade and security partners. ”
Trump Jr.’s visit to Greenland included visits to controversial colonial-era sites and meetings with local residents, but officials declined to reveal the purpose of those meetings. I refused. There were no apparent official meetings with Greenlandic government officials.
President Trump posted about his son’s trip on social media.
“Don Jr. and my agent have landed in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The receptionist response was amazing. They and the free world need safety, security, strength and peace. This is a deal that has to happen. MAGA. Let’s make Greenland great again! ” Supporters then posted a video of President Trump speaking to local residents on the phone.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that Greenland’s future will be determined by its people. “Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said.
