The U.S. president-elect believes the Panama Canal and Greenland are vital for U.S. security and is open to using military force to gain control over them. Trump threatened Denmark with “very high-level” tariffs if its political leaders fail to cooperate with his proposal to purchase Greenland.
Two weeks before taking office and a day after the House of Representatives certified his electoral victory, Donald Trump outlined the strategy and vision he intends to bring to the White House when inaugurated on January 20. During a lengthy press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump refused to rule out military or economic measures to bring the Panama Canal and Greenland under U.S. control.
“No, I can’t guarantee either of those things,” said the president-elect of the United States. “But I can tell you this, we need them for our economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military. I’m not going to commit to anything now… but you might have to do something,” he continued.
Trump also stated, “The Panama Canal is vital to our country. It’s being operated by China, and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn’t give it to China, and they’ve abused it,” he claimed, according to international media reports.
The U.S. president-elect further threatened Denmark with severe tariffs if its political leaders did not cooperate with his Greenland purchase proposal, even questioning whether Denmark has the right to control the territory.
After previously suggesting Canada could become the 51st U.S. state, Trump argued that the U.S. loses “over two billion dollars annually” in trade with Canada, especially in importing automobiles and dairy products.
Leaders from the countries involved have already rejected Trump’s territorial expansion ideas, which are not new. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated on Tuesday that she is entirely against selling Greenland but welcomed U.S. investment in the autonomous territory.
Trump recently revived his 2019 proposal to purchase Greenland, an idea then deemed “absurd.” The proposal gained momentum following a visit to the territory by one of Trump’s sons, reportedly on a private trip.
On defense matters, the Republican called for NATO member states to contribute 5% of their GDP to defense spending, a significant increase from the current 2% threshold. This comes as the European Union is preparing to ask its members to raise defense spending to at least 3% of their GDP.
Trump claimed that during his first term, he “saved NATO” by threatening to cut U.S. funding unless other countries paid their contributions. “I raised over $80 billion; the money started pouring in,” he commented.
Biden’s Policies to Be Blocked
During the press conference, Trump accused the Biden administration of trying to “block reforms” voted for by the American electorate, promising to reverse them immediately upon taking office.
“I’ll cancel them immediately,” he vowed, though he provided few details. Trump has pledged to overturn environmental policies adopted by Joe Biden, including support for electric mobility. He accused Biden of “obstructing the transfer of power” by adopting policies that Trump intends to reverse once he assumes the presidency on January 20.
Source: Expansão
