Trump Reiterates Claims on Panama Canal and Greenland, Suggests Military Intervention if Necessary
US President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his claims on the Panama Canal and Greenland, stating that he would be willing to use military force if necessary to assert US control over the territories. On Tuesday, Trump made the comments at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he also criticized the current fee structure of the Panama Canal and called for the US to take control of the waterway.
Trump’s comments on the Panama Canal, a vital shipping route, came as he criticized the fees charged to ships passing through the canal, calling them “highly unfair.” He suggested that the US should regain control of the canal if it is not treated fairly.
The US has a long history of involvement in the Panama Canal, having played a key role in the country’s independence from Colombia and later operating the canal zone directly until it was transferred to Panama in 1979.
Trump also reiterated his claim that the US has a right to Greenland, which is currently a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. He suggested that the US should take control of the island, citing national security and the need to protect the “free world” from Chinese and Russian ships.
Trump’s comments on Greenland follow a similar statement he made in December, in which he claimed that the US has a right to the island due to national security and freedom concerns.
Trump’s son, Donald Jr., recently visited Greenland, where he was seen taking a tour of the island. Trump Jr. said that he was there as a tourist and that his father had asked him to pass on greetings to the people of Greenland.
The US has a long-standing relationship with Greenland, which has a self-governing government but is still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland’s prime minister has recently expressed a desire for the island to become an independent nation.
Trump also made comments on Canada, suggesting that the country should join the US, and criticized the current government, which is set to see a change in leadership after the prime minister announced his resignation on Monday.