He also plans to use “economic force” to subjugate Canada and rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
American President-elect Donald Trump refused Tuesday, January 7, to rule out the possibility of a military operation or economic measures so that the United States regains control of the Panama Canal and obtains sovereignty over Greenland, a country under its control. from Denmark.
During a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, where he resides, the Republican also said he plans to use “economic force” to subdue Canada, as he repeats his dissatisfaction with the balance of trade between the two neighbors, threatening Ottawa with significant customs taxes and evoking the theory of making Canada the 51st American state.
Asked whether he would refrain from resorting to the military or economic coercion for Panama and Greenland, he answered in the negative. “I can’t give you any guarantees for these two […] We need them for our economic security,” he declared, two weeks before his formal return to the White House.
“We are not for sale”
“For reasons of national security and freedom around the world, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Donald Trump wrote in December on his Truth Social network.
Greenland, with its Pituffik air base, is strategic for the American army and its anti-missile warning system. Its natural resources (oil, gas, gold, diamond, uranium, zinc, lead) arouse the desires of the United States, China and Russia in particular.
During his previous term, Donald Trump expressed interest in purchasing Greenland in 2019, but the proposal was rejected by Denmark and the island’s authorities. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the offer “absurd”.
Monday, December 23, 2024, Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede was clear about Trump’s intentions by commenting: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
Donald Trump, whose electoral victory last November against outgoing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris was certified by Congress on Monday, also expressed his desire to rename the Gulf of Mexico to make it the “Gulf of America” . “What a wonderful name,” he added.
