Trump refuses to rule out military takeover of Greenland
US President-elect Donald Trump has said he would not rule out military or economic steps to retake control of the Panama Canal or to acquire the Danish-controlled territory of Greenland.
Asked during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday if he could “assure the world” that he would not use “military or economic coercion” in his efforts to acquire either one, Trump said he would not.
“No, I can’t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for the US to buy Greenland from Denmark.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it,” he said on Tuesday, claiming it was an “absolute necessity” for US national security.
Trump's son Donald Jr arrived in Greenland on Tuesday on what he called a “personal day trip” during which no meetings with government officials were planned. The younger Trump arrived in Greenland on a Trump-branded plane and told a crowd that his father “says hello to everyone in Greenland.”
US-based tech mogul and close ally of Trump Elon Musk also appears supportive of the plan, posting on X that he believes that the people of Greenland “want to be part of America” and that they’d be “most welcome.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated on Tuesday that Greenland is “not for sale” and never will be. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” she said.
Greenland is the world’s largest island and sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is already home to a large US military base and is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe. The territory gained home rule from Denmark in 1979.
Trump has also previously promised to regain control of the “vital” Panama Canal, which the late US President Jimmy Carter signed over to Panama in 1977.
In December, Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino promised that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama, and it will continue to be so.”
Also on Tuesday, Trump promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, because it has a “beautiful ring” and is “appropriate.”
“That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name,” he said.
