Donald Trump won’t rule out use of military to take control of Greenland, Panama Canal

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has not ruled out using military force to reclaim the Panama Canal and seize control of Greenland, insisting that both are vital for US national security.

Speaking a day after his election was certified by Congress, he also accused the Biden administration of trying to thwart his presidential transition; reiterated his threat that there would be “hell to pay” if an Israel-Hamas hostage deal wasn’t done by the time he returns to office; and announced that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the Gulf of America.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.Credit: AP

But it was Trump’s comments on the Panama Canal, which is controlled by Panamanian government, and Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, that raised the most eyebrows and are likely to exacerbate tensions between the US and the two other nations.

Asked if he could assure the world that he would not use military force or economic coercion to claim either, Trump told reporters: “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: we need them for our national security.”

Pressed again, he responded: “I’m not going to commit to that. It might be you’ll need to do something.”

He also later threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark if he didn’t get his way, declaring: “People don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to [Greenland] but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security.”

Since the election, Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of reclaiming the Panama Canal and seizing control of Greenland as he moves to expand America’s global footprint, although some have questioned how serious he is on either front.

A plane carrying Donald Trump Jr lands in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.Credit: AP

He has also said that Canada should become the 51st US state, often while trolling the nation’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, who yesterday announced he would step down after months of pressure from his own ranks.

The Panama Canal is a vital conduit for international maritime trade that was constructed by the US but transferred to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.

Last month, he criticised Panama for imposing “exorbitant” fees on US vessels and voiced concerns about potential Chinese influence over the canal’s operations.

Donald Trump Jr (second right) on his arrival in Nuuk on Tuesday.Credit: AP

However, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino rejected these claims, asserting that the canal remains under his country’s control and that fees apply equitably to all nations.

Regarding Greenland, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, and a delegation of advisers landed in the region on Tuesday, on what is supposedly a private holiday trip.

The president-elect expressed his interest on taking control of the territory last month, stating on Truth Social: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

The Stolt Lotus tanker navigates through the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal last month.Credit: Bloomberg

His renewed interest follows a similar proposal in 2019 during his first term, which was firmly rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic officials.

In response to the past month’s statements, Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede reaffirmed the island was not for sale and emphasised Greenland’s aspirations for independence from Denmark.

Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, Greenland is a geopolitical prize that the US and others have eyed for more than 150 years. It’s even more valuable as the Arctic opens up more to shipping and trade.

Locked inside the world’s largest island are valuable rare earth minerals needed for telecommunications, as well as uranium, billions of untapped barrels of oil, and a vast supply of natural gas that used to be inaccessible but is becoming less so.

Last month, Denmark’s King Frederik X by royal decree changed Denmark’s coat of arms to enlarge fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway.

Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that, since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolised the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch”.

“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his new year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland”.

Trump made his comments in an hour-long press conference that began with the announcement of a $US20 billion ($32 billion) foreign investment to build new data centres across the United States.

The investment was made by Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, a Trump associate and founder of the property development company DAMAC Properties.

But Trump quickly veered onto a range of grievances, many of which were targeted towards Special Counsel Jack Smith, who indicted him for trying to overthrow the 2020 election results and wants to release a report of his findings; and towards the Biden administration, which has moved to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling off America’s east and west coasts.

“We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump said.

He also said he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and declared that “all hell will break out” if a hostage deal was not secured in the Israel-Hamas war.

“If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said. “It will not be good for Hamas. And it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”

With AP

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