Trump's expansionist designs, from Greenland to the Panama Canal

Sébastian SEIBT

8 January 2025 at 12:30 pm·1-min read

Donald Trump Jr. visits Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, following his father, the soon-to-be 47th president of the United States claims on the territory.

In a rambling and provocative speech on Tuesday, incoming US president Donald Trump refused to rule out military force to press a series of territorial claims. Since his victory in November’s presidential election, Trump has made several seemingly absurd and perplexing claims regarding neighbouring Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal, leaving supporters and opponents alike puzzling over his true intentions.

President-elect Donald Trump told a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday that he would not rule out the use of military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, and warned Canada of heavy economic sanctions after suggesting that it should become part of the United States as the “51st state”.

Since his re-election to the White House in November 2024, Trump has advanced a series of lofty but bewildering claims on foreign territories, starting with the USA’s northern neighbour.

Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada” in December while proposing that the country become the 51st US state in what was widely seen as a jest.

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