President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed his aspiration for the United States to acquire Greenland and regain control of the Panama Canal, describing both as essential for national security.
When questioned about the possibility of using military or economic measures to annex the autonomous Danish territory or the canal, Trump declined to rule out such actions. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” he stated during a press briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “But I can say this- we need them for economic security.”
Denmark and Panama have dismissed any notion of relinquishing sovereignty over their territories. Trump also hinted at employing “economic force” to annex Canada, criticising the shared border as an “artificially drawn line.” The boundary, the longest between two nations, was established through treaties in the late 18th century. He argued that the US invests billions of dollars in protecting Canada and criticised imports of Canadian cars, lumber, and dairy products.
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rebuffed the suggestion, stating there was no chance whatsoever of a merger between the two nations.
The press conference, held less than two weeks before Trump is set to begin his second term, was initially intended to announce a $20 billion (£16 billion) investment by Dubai-based Damac Properties for US data centres. However, it evolved into a broad-ranging event in which Trump criticised environmental regulations, the US electoral system, ongoing legal challenges against him, and President Joe Biden.
Among his other remarks, Trump proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and reiterated his opposition to wind energy, claiming wind turbines were disturbing the whales.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland, describing it as a “personal day trip” with no scheduled meetings with local officials. Upon arrival in Nuuk, the capital, he emphasised his intention to engage with residents. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to the visit by affirming that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and only its people could decide its future. She reiterated that Greenland “is not for sale,” though she stressed the importance of cooperation with the United States as a NATO ally.
Greenland, with a population of 57,000, is the world’s largest island and holds strategic significance in the Arctic region. Although it enjoys broad autonomy, its economy heavily depends on subsidies from Denmark. Greenland also hosts a key US space facility and contains extensive reserves of rare earth minerals critical for modern technology.
Trump highlighted Greenland’s role in monitoring Chinese and Russian naval activity, declaring it pivotal to “protecting the free world.”
The president-elect has repeatedly raised the idea of US territorial expansion since his re-election, including reacquiring the Panama Canal. He described the canal as “vital to our country” and alleged it was “being operated by China,” a claim denied by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, who insisted there is “no Chinese interference” in the canal’s operations.
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