President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to grab the Panama Canal and Greenland on Tuesday, saying U.S. national security depends on winning control of the two territories.
In a free-wheeling press conference, Trump also vowed he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and proclaimed a new American “golden age” when he returns to the White House in two weeks.
“We’re at the beginning of a great golden age of business and we’re also at a golden age of common sense,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “We’re going to have a lot of fun making America great again. Since the election, the perception of the whole world is different.”
Trump fired off broadsides at several other nations, including neighbors Canada and Mexico, along with Denmark, which rules Greenland as an overseas territory of 45,000 people.
“We want to get along with everyone, but it takes two to tango,” Trump said. “The people are going to probably vote for independence or to come into the U.S.”
Trump spoke as presidential son Donald Trump Jr. jetted into Greenland’s capital of Nuuk for what he said was a daylong private visit and to shoot video footage for his podcast.
Denmark has said it would not negotiate over the future of Greenland, although its residents, who are Danish citizens, could vote for independence.
“Greenland is not for sale,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday.
Panama says it won’t cede even “an inch” of its territory around the canal, a stance that has broad support across Latin America.
Trump also brushed off a question about whether he plans to pardon those who were convicted of attacking police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
“We’re looking at the whole thing, but yes I’ll be making major pardons,” he said.
Trump repeated his warning to the Palestinians and Israel that he wants a deal for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza before he takes office on Jan. 20.
“It will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” Trump said. “All hell will break out. I don’t have to say any more, but that’s what it is.”
The soon-to-be commander-in-chief said he hopes to meet with Russian premier Vladimir Putin soon after returning to office to launch an effort to broker a peace deal in Ukraine.
Trump blamed President Biden for provoking Russia into invading its neighbor by suggesting Ukraine could join NATO.
“I could understand [Russia’s] feelings about that,” said Trump, repeating a pro-Kremlin talking point. “It was always understood. They had a deal and Biden broke it.”
The most eyebrow-raising part of the rambling hour-long performance came when Trump dished out threats at allies over his pet causes.
He appeared deadly serious about forcing Denmark to relinquish political control over resource-rich Greenland and flatly refused to rule out taking military action.
“People really don’t know if Denmark has any right to [Greenland]. But if they do, they need to give it up,” Trump said. “We need it for national security purposes.”
Trump warned that he would slap tariffs on Denmark if the Scandinavian ally does not play ball and warned things could escalate from there.
“It might be you have to do something,” he said.
Trump also sounded a tough note on Panama, saying he would take whatever action is needed to take back the territory around the canal, which the U.S. gave back to the central American nation in the 1970s.
He riffed on his suggestion that Canada would be better off joining the U.S., calling the long border between the two nations an “artificial line” and saying both peoples would be better off if it didn’t exist.
Unlike Panama and Greenland, Trump promised not to invade our northern neighbor, saying he would use “economic actions” to win concessions on trade and security policy.
“They should be a state,” he said. “We’ve been good neighbors but we can’t do it forever.”
Canadian is embroiled in a political crisis and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he will step down. But there appears to be no political appetite for a merger with the U.S.