President-elect Donald Trump has reignited controversial discussions about US territorial expansion, expressing a strong interest in acquiring Greenland and reclaiming control of the Panama Canal, citing both as critical to American national and economic security.
In a press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump was asked whether he would rule out using military or economic force to achieve these goals. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” he said. “But I can say this, we need them for economic security.”
Denmark and Panama have both rejected any notion of ceding control. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” emphasizing that only the local population can decide their future. Similarly, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino dismissed Trump’s claims of Chinese interference in the canal, stating that it remains under Panama’s sovereign control.
Trump also raised eyebrows by suggesting that the US should consider annexing Canada, referring to their shared border as an “artificially drawn line.” He criticized Canadian imports of cars, lumber, and dairy products, stating, “They should be a state.”
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly rejected the idea, saying, “There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell” that Canada would ever merge with the US.
The press conference, initially set to announce a $20 billion investment by Dubai developer Damac Properties in US data centers, veered into a wide range of topics. Trump criticized environmental regulations, the US election system, and ongoing legal cases against him. He also proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and reiterated his dislike for wind turbines, claiming they are “driving the whales crazy.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was spotted visiting Greenland on what he described as a “personal day trip” with no planned meetings with local officials.
Trump emphasized Greenland’s strategic importance, noting its role in tracking Chinese and Russian naval activity and its reserves of rare earth minerals, crucial for modern technology.
On the Panama Canal, Trump called its handover to Panama a “big mistake,” criticizing former President Jimmy Carter for overseeing the transition. “Look, [Carter] was a good man… But that was a big mistake,” Trump said.
While it’s unclear how serious Trump is about these territorial ambitions, his comments have already drawn sharp rebukes from leaders in Denmark, Panama, and Canada, setting the stage for potentially tense diplomatic relations in the coming months.