President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled he would consider using military force to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland, and “economic power” to take Canada.
During a freewheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, President Trump assured the nation that he would not use military coercion against Panama or Greenland, a goal he has held for weeks. I was asked if I could do it. . President Trump said, “No, I can’t guarantee either of those things, but I can tell you this: We need it for economic security.” He later said he would not use military force against Canada, only “economic power.”
“That would really be something,” President Trump said of U.S. control of Canada.
“Let’s get rid of the artificially drawn lines and see what that looks like. And it’s going to be much better for national security as well,” President Trump said. President Trump said the subsidies included large amounts of military aid and that the United States was losing money through trade deficits.
It was not immediately clear what funds Trump was referring to, but the president has frequently complained that NATO allies, including Canada, don’t pay enough for defense. The United States and Canada also have a shared military alliance through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
He recently joked that the state should become the 51st state and on Tuesday said he joked with Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky about becoming “governor.” . Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 10-year term came to an abrupt end on Monday, due in part to internal party disputes over his handling of President Donald Trump and his promised 25% tariffs.
Since winning the 2024 presidential election, President Trump has touted the purchase of Greenland, an Arctic island that is part of Danish territory, as a strategic interest for the United States, and last month reiterated his desire to acquire it. . This is not a new idea for President Trump. The bet to buy Greenland was ridiculed when it was brought up during the president’s first term. Her eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was there Tuesday filming a documentary with at least two incoming White House officials.
“Well, we need a purpose that strengthens national security. I’ve been saying that for a long time, long before I started running,” Trump told reporters. “There are about 45,000 people there. People don’t even really know that Denmark has a legal right to it, but if they did, they should give it up, because for national security reasons. He threatened to impose “extremely high” tariffs on Denmark if it thwarted the Arctic island’s efforts to gain independence or join the United States.
In a video posted on social media earlier in the day, President Trump invited Trump Jr. to join him for a lunch event on the island.
Regarding Panama, President Trump said the United States was being treated unfairly by being “overcharged” for its ships navigating the canal at higher rates than other countries, and that Panama was “in violation” of its agreements with the United States. he claimed. It asked the US for $3 billion to help repair the canal, which would shorten shipping times between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, even though “China has essentially taken over the canal.” He has threatened to take it back, saying returning it to U.S. control is “critically important” to national security.
It is not clear what kind of agreement President Trump was referring to, but under the terms of the Carter administration’s treaty that transferred control of the canal from the United States to Panama by 1999, the United States’ neutrality over the canal changed. You have the right to protect yourself from being attacked. .
“We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn’t give it to China,” President Trump said. “They misused that gift.”
The canal is managed by the Panama Canal Authority, but a Hong Kong-based contractor operates two ports connected to the canal.
In a video statement in December, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denied that China had any influence over the canal and rejected the idea that the United States would regain authority over the canal. “Every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and always will,” he said.
He also mentioned Mexico in his remarks, saying he aims to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America with Beautiful Tree Rings.”
“What a beautiful name and how appropriate,” he said, criticizing Mexico for not doing enough to curb immigration. “Mexico should stop millions of people coming into our country. They can be stopped. And we’re going to impose very tough tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they’re going through Canada too. Because it’s coming.”
Despite pledging throughout his press conference to return the United States to a “golden age” of improved national security and “common sense,” Trump offered little guidance on how he would carry out his plans to expand U.S. power. Details have not been disclosed.
“This will be America’s golden age,” President Trump said.
