The president-elect Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that he does not rule out the use of military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, mentioning that control of both is vital for the national security of the United States.
The statement was made on the same day that a delegation led by his son Donald Trump Jr. briefly visited Greenland, a territory that is part of Denmark, an old ally of the United States and a founding member of NATO.
Why did Trump make these statements about Panama and Greenland?
Speaking with reporters less than two weeks before taking office, Trump left open the possibility of using the US military to take over both territories. The president-elect's intention marks a rejection of decades of US policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion.
"I'm not going to commit to that," Trump said when asked if he would rule out the use of force. "We may have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country." He added that "we need Greenland for national security reasons."
Another idea from Trump: “Gulf of America”
Trump, a Republican, has also suggested that Canada join the United States, but indicated that he would not use military force to do so, but rather would use "economic force."
Promising a “golden era for the United States,” Trump added that he will try to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” because that “sounds very nice.”
Previously, Trump complained that Joe Biden was undermining his transition to power one day after the incumbent president decided to ban energy drilling offshore in most federal waters.
Biden used his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the east and west coasts, the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Bering Sea in Alaska against future oil and natural gas leasing.
“I will reverse it on the very first day,” Trump told reporters at his private club in Florida. He pledged to take the matter to court “if necessary.”