President-elect Donald J. Trump says he will not take the use of military or economic coercion off the table for the United States to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone.
Since his first term in the White House, Trump has sought to purchase Greenland from Denmark, which sits in the Western Hemisphere and could play a significant role in U.S. interests in the Arctic. Meanwhile, Panama’s recent warming relations with Communist China have prompted Trump to reevaluate the 1978 agreement, which granted the Central American country control over the U.S.-built canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is a lynchpin of international trade.
During a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, a reporter pressed the President-elect: “Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of [Greenland and the Panama Canal], you are not going to use military or economic coercion?”
Responding to the question, President-elect Trump said an abrupt and terse “No,” signaling that he is considering all options in pursuit of U.S. economic and security interests.
The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, has noted that the U.S. acquisition of Greenland isn’t a new venture, and prior presidential administrations dating back to 1867 have at least considered the prospect. However, the Arctic Circle island is increasingly becoming an important territory as Russia and China continue to push for greater influence over the far northern reaches of the globe. U.S. sovereignty over Greenland could bolster first response and missile interceptor capabilities and open access to untapped resources in the region.
Meanwhile, the Panama Canal, built over a decade from 1904 to 1914 through U.S. investment and labor, continues to be a strategic choke point in international trade. However, the rise of Chinese influence in Panama is prompting some in the U.S. to call for the canal’s return to American control.
WATCH:
Reporter: Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, that you won’t use military or economic coercion?
Trump: “No.” pic.twitter.com/JlvCxi9jtQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 7, 2025
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