Trump may tap military to own Greenland, Panama Canal
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA—President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared US control of both to be vital to American national security.
Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he takes office on Jan. 20, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories. Trump’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 the military. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”
Greenland, home to a large US military base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime US ally and a founding member of Nato.
Trump cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark’s claim to Greenland.
The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by the eponymous country for more than 25 years. The United States returned the Panama Canal Zone to the country in 1979 and ended its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.
‘Closest ally’
Addressing Trump’s comments, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the United States Denmark’s “most important and closest ally,” and that she did not believe that the United States will use military or economic power to secure control over Greenland.
Panamanian foreign minister Javier Martínez-Acha echoed comments from President José Raúl Mulino, who said last month that the canal will remain in Panamanian hands.
“The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest,” Martínez-Acha said.
Trump has also floated having Canada join the United States as the 51st state.
Justin Trudeau, the country’s outgoing prime minister, was blunt in his response.
“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” he wrote.
