President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed his interest in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal, describing both as critical to US national security.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump did not rule out using military or economic force to obtain the Danish territory or the strategic waterway. “We need them for economic security,” he stated.
Denmark and Panama have dismissed any suggestions of ceding territory, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and Panama rejecting claims of Chinese interference in the canal’s operations.
Trump also floated the idea of annexing Canada, calling the US-Canada border an “artificially drawn line” and criticising Canadian trade practices. Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the notion, saying there isn’t “a snowball’s chance in hell” of such a merger.
The press conference, initially set to announce a $20 billion investment from Dubai’s Damac Properties, turned into a free-wheeling session. Trump criticised environmental regulations, the U.S. election system, and legal cases against him, while proposing renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
His son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland on a “personal day trip” but did not meet with government officials. Trump Jr.’s visit coincided with Trump’s claims about Greenland’s strategic and economic importance, including its rare earth mineral deposits and military value in tracking Russian and Chinese activities.
Trump also renewed criticism of the 1977 treaties that handed control of the Panama Canal back to Panama, calling it “a big mistake.”
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