No one knows why, but U.S. President-elect Donald Trump continues to push for territorial expansion of the United States. He wants to include Canada, the Danish vast land of Greenland, and the little island nation of Panama, sandwiched between Colombia and Nicaragua.
Trump recently mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him “Governor of the great state of Canada” during Trudeau’s visit to Mar-a-Lago. Trudeau had rushed to Florida after Trump won the election and threatened a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.
On Christmas Day, Trump escalated his rhetoric by posting on his Truth Social platform a picture of himself on a mountaintop next to a Canadian flag: “Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We lost 38,000 people building it 110 years ago. The U.S. puts billions of dollars in ‘repair’ money but has no say about anything.“
Then, “Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose citizens’ taxes are far too high. If Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country.“
“Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for national security purposes. They want the U.S. to be there, and we will!“
After Trudeau and Trump met earlier in December, Trudeau dismissed any concerns when asked about Trump’s. “The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue, in no way a serious comment,” said
On Sunday, December 22, while announcing his pick of PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as American ambassador to Denmark, Trump announced that P “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He hadn’t become president yet. He’ll be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.
But this is not the first time Trump has thrown in this bait for Greenland. In his first presidential, he made the same remark, drawing a rebuke from Danish authorities who publicly reiterated that the cold island was “open for business, not for sale.”
Pushbacks From All Sides
On Monday, the Danish Prime Minister’s Office said it looks forward to welcoming the new American ambassador and working with the new administration. “In a complex security political situation as the one we currently experience, transatlantic cooperation is crucial,” the Prime Ministerial statement said, adding that Greenland is “not for sale, but open for cooperation.“
Back in Panama, Trump is also receiving pushback. He suggested the U.S. could retake control of the Chinese-controlled Panama Canal if shipping costs don’t ease. In a somewhat tardy exchange, Panama President José Raúl Mulino made a personal response video for the world to hear: “Every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to.”
To which Trump ominously fired back on social media, “We’ll see about that!“
Given that Donald Trump had made a similar bid for Mexico, is 13th-century territorial expansionism of empires Trump’s new version of globalization? With the world’s mightiest military force in history, it’s not a question to be answered lightly.
And let’s not forget the United States had gone to war against Panama mid-December 1989 under another Republic President George H. W. Bush over the name Panama Canal.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
