President-elect Donald Trump has shown interest in acquiring Greenland since his first term in office.
Interest has been renewed and made more apparent in recent days as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited and spoke to the world’s largest island. President Trump speaks at a press conference on tuesday.
President Trump has also expressed interest in acquiring the Panama Canal and said he would not rule out using military force to seize territory in either or both.
So what’s the draw? Here’s what you need to know about President Trump’s interest in Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Why Greenland?
President Trump has reiterated his belief that Greenland is a vital national security interest for the United States.
The island is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime ally of the United States and a founding member of NATO. There is also a large US military base.
The land is rich in valuable rare earth minerals such as uranium, as well as billions of barrels of untapped oil and vast amounts of natural gas.
And on a global scale, experts say Greenland will become an increasingly hot spot throughout the 21st century due to the effects of melting ice on sea levels.
Trump and Greenland
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 7, 2025. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
As mentioned above, President Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland dates back to at least his first term. And that interest hasn’t waned over time.
in society of truth “I hear the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA’,” President Trump said in a post on Monday. He attached a video purportedly showing Greenlanders asking the United States to buy their country.
Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland on Tuesday. The visit is a personal one and Greenlandic representatives do not plan to meet with him, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale.
trump panama canal
The Panama Canal is a maritime shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saving time and money when transporting all kinds of goods.
President Trump also believes that control of the Panama Canal is critical to U.S. national security, is outraged by rising shipping prices, and believes the U.S. is being “cheated.”
According to the Associated Press, shipping prices are rising after last year’s drought affected the canal’s locks, forcing Panama to drastically reduce shipping traffic through the canal and raise fees to use the canal. It is said that there is
The Panama Canal has been exclusively managed by Panama for more than 25 years. Under President Jimmy Carter, the United States repatriated the Panama Canal Zone in 1979 and ended the joint partnership in the management of the strategic waterway in 1999.
Panamanian leaders are reluctant to entertain the idea of handing back control.
“Sovereignty of our canal is non-negotiable and part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest,” Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha said.
trump and canada
President Trump has also floated the idea of having Canada join the United States as the 51st state.
He said on Tuesday that he had no intention of using military force to invade the country, home to more than 40 million people and a founding partner of NATO.
Instead, he said, he would rely on “economic strength.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “There’s no snowballing chance that Canada will become part of the United States.”
Related: Ontario Premier Jokes: Canada Should Buy Minnesota and Alaska
Since first running for the White House in 2016, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Mexico over a number of issues.
Promising a “Golden Age of America” President Trump also said this on Tuesday. He will move to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” saying it “has a beautiful ring to it.”
Shortly after the comments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would introduce legislation supporting the name change “as soon as possible.”
Related: President Trump says he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’
source: Information for this article was taken from Trump’s remarks at the Mar-a-Lago press conference on January 7, 2025, and his public Truth Social account. Background information was obtained from previous FOX television coverage and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.
