President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday repeatedly declined to rule out involving the U.S. military to carry out his ambitions for the U.S. to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal.
"No," Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago Florida home and private club when asked whether he can rule out military or economic coercion in the two locations. "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this: We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military."
Since winning the 2024 election, Trump has openly discussed the U.S. acquiring Greenland, a mineral-rich territory controlled by Denmark, and the Panama Canal, which has been operated by Panama since 1999 following a deal orchestrated by the late President Jimmy Carter 22 years earlier. Trump has also publicly pondered the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.