Written by Steve Holland and Joseph Ax
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to rule out resorting to military or economic action to pursue acquisitions of the Panama Canal and Greenland, part of a broader expansionist agenda he has promoted since winning the presidential election on November 5. . election.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has floated the idea of turning Canada into a US state, said he would demand much higher defense spending from NATO allies and promised to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to America's Gulf.
Two weeks before taking office, Trump began outlining an aggressive foreign policy with little regard for diplomatic considerations or the concerns of US allies.
When asked at a news conference at his Florida resort if he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic coercion while trying to control the Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump said: “No, I can't assure you on either.” But I can say that we need them for economic security.”
Trump criticized US spending on Canadian goods and military support for Canada, saying the United States reaps no benefits from doing so, and described the border between the two countries as an “artificially drawn line.”
He suggested he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resisted his offer to buy Greenland, which he said was vital to American national security. Shortly before Trump's statements, his son, Don Jr., arrived in Greenland for a private visit.
Denmark has said Greenland, an autonomous part of its kingdom, is not for sale.
“I don't think it's a good way to go about fighting each other by financial means when we are such close allies and partners,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said late Tuesday evening in response to Trump's comments.
Canada says: 'We will never back down'
“President-elect Trump's comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada strong. Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the world,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Jolie said on Channel Confronting threats.”
The Panamanian authorities did not immediately comment. Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino had previously rejected the idea of returning the canal to the United States, which owned it before handing over control to Panama in 1999.
Ambassador Daniel Fried, a retired US diplomat who now works at the Atlantic Council think tank, said Trump's comments painted a picture of national power as territorial expansionism and likened him to “19th-century imperialism.”
Fried said that seizing Greenland “would destroy NATO, because it would not make us any different from Vladimir Putin,” the Russian president.
Trump's promise to rename the Gulf of Mexico mirrors his previous pledge to rename Denali, North America's highest mountain, to Mount McKinley. Former President Barack Obama changed the name of the Alaskan mountain out of respect for Native Americans.
Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who is expected to play a key role in looming trade issues between the United States and Mexico, appeared to reject Trump's call to rename the shared water area later on Tuesday.
“I would like to tell you today that if we see each other in 30 years, the Gulf of Mexico will still be called the Gulf of Mexico,” he said, adding that the Mexican government will not enter into this debate.
Typically, the U.S. Geographic Names Board assigns geographic names, although presidents have also renamed geographic features through executive actions.
NATO spending
Trump said NATO members should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, a significant increase from the current target of 2%.
“I think NATO should get 5%,” he said. “They can all afford it, but it should be at 5%, not 2%.”
Trump has repeatedly complained that most NATO members do not pay their fair share, and made a demand for increased NATO defense contributions during the election campaign.
NATO estimated that 23 of its 32 members would meet its target of spending 2% of GDP in 2024.
None of the alliance members, including the United States, currently spends 5% of GDP on defence, according to NATO figures. Poland is the largest spending country in terms of GDP at 4.12%, followed by Estonia at 3.43% and the United States at 3.38%.
Trump also repeated his threat that “all hell will break loose in the Middle East” if Palestinian Hamas fighters do not release by the time he takes office hostages they seized from Israel on October 7, 2023, and are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
He added: “This will not be in the interest of Hamas, and it will not be in the interest of anyone, frankly.”
His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told reporters that he hopes to have good things to report about negotiations between Israel and Hamas by the time Trump is sworn in.
Family grievances
The hour-long news conference, Trump's second since his victory, echoed similar events during his presidential campaign.
He aired a series of familiar grievances over the criminal indictments, including attacking Judge Juan Merchan, the New York judge who is scheduled to sentence Trump on Friday on charges of falsifying business records in connection with a secret payment to a porn star.
The New York Court of Appeals rejected his latest attempt to halt the ruling shortly after his press conference ended.
Separately, as Trump spoke, a US judge temporarily blocked special counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on his investigations into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Judge Eileen Cannon had previously dismissed a case accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified materials after leaving office.
Tuesday's party was held in the ornate living room of Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Palm Beach resort. Several senior Trump advisers watched the proceedings, while club guests could be seen dining outside on the balcony.
Trump was also asked if it was appropriate for Elon Musk to make his comments publicly on foreign affairs. In recent weeks, the billionaire Trump ally has used his X platform to comment on European politics, including expressing his support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party.
“I can say that Elon is doing a good job, and he's a very smart guy,” Trump said. “I don't know the people you're talking about.”
