DONALD Trump has proposed to seize the Panama Canal and buy Greenland in a bizarre plot to expand US territory.
The president-elect has also said that it would be a “great idea” to make Canada the 51st state of the US.
After winning the November elections by a large margin, Trump emphasized the critical importance of the US owning Greenland for the sake of global security and freedom.
He wrote 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 strong comments on Greenland came after he named PayPal Ken Howery as his pick for US ambassador to Denmark on Sunday.
“Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States,” Trump added.
However, Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede said the Arctic island is “not for sale”.
He said: ” Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.
“We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
During his first term in 2019, Trump suggested that the US should buy Greenland – the largest island in the world that is not a continent – given its strategic importance.
But the idea was roundly rejected by Denmark as well as by the island’s own authorities.
Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to reimpose US control over the Panama Canal, citing what he said were excessive fees to use the canal and a risk of Chinese influence.
“It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions,” Trump said of the canal.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question.”
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump said he would not let the canal fall into the “wrong hands”, warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.
After the event, he posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: “Welcome to the United States Canal!”
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino rejected Trump’s threat.
He said the canal’s tariffs were carefully and transparently evaluated, and that these maintain the canal and helped expand it in 2016, boosting traffic and global trade.
“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“Our country’s sovereignty and independence are not negotiable.”
“The canal is not under any direct or indirect control from China, the European community, the United States, or any other power,” Mulino added.
China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal’s Caribbean and Pacific entrances.
The US largely built the canal and administered the territory surrounding the passage for decades.
However, America signed a pair of accords in 1977 with Panama that paved the way for the canal’s return to full Panamanian control.
The US handed over control of the passage in 1999 after a period of joint administration.
TRUMP’S TERRITORIAL PLANS
Trump’s comments have been an exceedingly rare example of a US leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory.
They also underlined an expected shift in US diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.
It is not clear how Trump would seek to regain control over the canal, and he would have no recourse under international law if he decided to make a play for the passage.
This is not the first time Trump has openly considered territorial expansion.
‘GOVERNOR JUSTIN TRUDEAU’
In recent weeks, he has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into a US state.
US President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday it would be “a great idea” for Canada to become the 51st US state.
He teased on social media that “many Canadians” welcome the idea, as Ottawa is wracked by political turmoil.
“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” he added.
The post is not the first time Trump has publicly mused the idea, particularly following the shock resignation of Canada’s deputy prime minister on Monday.
Trump suggested that merging the two nations would not only resolve his concerns about fentanyl trafficking but could also stem illegal immigration — an issue that mainly affects the US southern border.
He has also threatened a 25-percent tariff on Canadian goods – a policy that he said would be implemented from day one until the countries stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into America.
His suggestion raised eyebrows in Ottawa with some commenting that it was “not funny,” humiliating and a not-so-subtle threat on the part of the incoming US leader.
Since then, Trump has repeatedly referred to Trudeau in social media posts as the governor of Canada — a title used by leaders of the 50 US states.
The jabs may have become more worrying for Canadians since the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland this week, which spurred calls for Trudeau to quit.
