Donald Trump won’t rule out use of military to take control of Greenland, Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a vital conduit for international maritime trade that was constructed by the US but transferred to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
Last month, he criticised Panama for imposing “exorbitant” fees on US vessels and voiced concerns about potential Chinese influence over the canal’s operations.
Donald Trump Jr (second right) on his arrival in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.Credit: AP
However, Panama’s President, Jose Raul Mulino, refuted these claims, asserting that the canal remains under Panamanian control and that fees are applied equitably to all nations.
Regarding Greenland, Trump’s son Donald Jr and a delegation of advisers landed in the region on Tuesday, on what is supposedly a private holiday trip.
The president-elect expressed his interest on taking control of the territory last month, stating on Truth Social: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
His renewed interest follows a similar proposal in 2019 during his first term, which was firmly rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic officials.
The Stolt Lotus tanker navigates through the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal near Panama City on Sunday.Credit: Bloomberg
However, in response to the past month’s statements, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede reaffirmed that the island was not for sale and emphasised Greenland’s aspirations for independence from Denmark.
Last month, Denmark’s King Frederik X by royal decree changed Denmark’s coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway.
Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that, since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolised the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch”.
“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his new year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland”.
The old Danish royal coat of arms, from 1972 (left) and the new version with an enlarged bear.Credit: AP
Trump made his comments in an hour-long press conference that began with the announcement of a $US20 billion ($32 billion) foreign investment to build new data centres across the United States.
The investment was made by Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, a Trump associate and founder of the property development company DAMAC Properties.
But the president-elect quickly veered onto a range of grievances, many of which were targeted towards Special Counsel Jack Smith, who indicted him for trying to overthrow the 2020 election results and wants to release a report of his findings; and towards the Biden administration, which has moved to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling off America’s East and West coasts.
“We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump said.
Trump also said he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and declared that “all hell will break out” if a hostage deal was not secured in the Israel Hamas war.
“If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said. “It will not be good for Hamas. And it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”
With AP
