“Never has an elected American president so blatantly threatened to use force to expand his country’s territorial borders,” “since the time of William McKinley who engaged in the Spanish-American War in the late 19th century”, notes the New York Times.
During a new press conference, organized Tuesday January 7 from his Florida residence at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump repeated his ambitions to annex the Panama Canal and Greenland. Asked if he could guarantee that he would not use armed forces to annex the vital artery of global shipping and the autonomous territory of Denmark, the Republican replied: “I can’t assure you, on either of them.”
He further threatened to use “economic strength” against Canada, after having affirmed the day before that it was in the interest of this ally of the United States to become the “51st State” American. “Never, ever will Canada be part of the United States.” replied resigned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, reacting for the first time to Trump’s attacks.
“Curbing the influence of China and Russia”
For the New York Timesthe president’s statements show that the way he defines his slogan “America First” (“America First”) East “anything but isolationist”. “He approaches American foreign policy with the mentality of a real estate developer, with a penchant for land grabbing,” analyzes the American daily.
Former advisors to the Republican and current members of his entourage, however, clarified to the conservative daily The Wall Street Journal that his statements “should not be taken literally”the American president mainly seeking to put pressure on the countries concerned to obtain economic or security gains.
“Trump’s Promise to Annex Canada” would not be “just a boast aimed at putting pressure on” on government “before trade negotiations with Ottawa”say some advisors. As for his threat to take back the canal, it would be“a scheme to obtain lower prices for American ships sailing through Panama.” “His obsession with acquiring Greenland aims to obtain access to rare earths and deny them to China”they add.
“If many consider the words [du] president-elect as trolling, for Trump advisers, they are part of a broader plan to curb the influence of China and Russia”note the Washington Post.
