Donald Trump is refusing to rule out using American military force to retake control of the Panama Canal and seize Greenland, citing economic security as a driving factor.
Speaking at a Tuesday press conference at Mar-a-Lago, the incoming US president explicitly declined to give assurances against using military or economic coercion when pressed about his plans regarding Panama and Greenland.
“I can’t assure you on either of those two,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question. “But I can say this, we need them for economic security.”
The remarks came during a rambling session with journalists at his Florida resort home and will probably set off diplomatic alarm bells around the world as Trump prepares to return to the White House later this month with an agenda of muscular American nationalism.
Trump claimed the Panama Canal, which was transferred to Panamanian control in 1999 under a 1977 treaty, was being “operated by China”, an assertion that comes amid his repeated calls for the strategic waterway to be returned to US control.
“The Panama Canal was built for our military,” Trump said. “Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country. It’s being operated by China. China! And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn’t give it to China.”
When it came to Greenland, Trump threatened economic retaliation against Denmark, noting that if they resisted his territorial ambitions he “would tariff Denmark at a very high level”.
His tough talk also extended due north to Canada, which he similarly threatened with “very serious tariffs” while dismissing its military capabilities.
“Canada is subsidized to the tune of about $200bn a year, plus other things. They don’t essentially have a military. They have a very small military. They rely on our military,” Trump said.
His comments came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, touched down in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, where he reportedly distributed “Make Greenland Great Again” hats despite claiming to be visiting purely as a tourist.
Video footage showed the former US president addressing a group over lunch during a call to his son’s phone, saying, “We’re going to treat you well.”
The dual focus on Panama and Greenland represents a cryptic attempt to expand US territorial control in the name of national and economic security. While the Panama Canal was previously under US control, Greenland remains an autonomous territory of Denmark that has repeatedly rejected American overtures.
Trump’s comments follow a series of increasingly confrontational statements about the canal, including a recent threat that the US would “demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America – in full, quickly and without question”.
Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, rejected Trump’s demands, declaring that “every square metre” of the canal would remain under Panamanian sovereignty.
The exchange marks a dramatic escalation in rhetoric over the crucial maritime passage, which the US originally built in 1914 and operated for most of the 20th century. The confrontational stance echoes the tensions that led to the 1989 US invasion of Panama.
His comments are sparking particular concern given the United States’ history of military intervention in Panama.
In December 1989, the US launched Operation Just Cause, deploying 9,000 troops to join 12,000 US military personnel already in the country to overthrow the Panamanian military dictator Manuel Noriega. The invasion, which resulted in the deaths of 23 US service members and an estimated 500 Panamanian civilians, was condemned by the Organization of American States and the European Parliament as a violation of international law.
It also resulted in the removal of Noriega, who would later be sentenced on drug-trafficking charges to 40 years in US prison.
Trump has simultaneously ramped up pressure on other territories, suggesting Canada could become “the 51st state” and mockingly referring to the exiting prime minister, Justin Trudeau, as “governor”.
Trump Jr’s Greenland visit included appearances at controversial colonial landmarks and meetings with local residents, though officials declined to specify the purpose of these encounters. There was no apparent official meeting with anyone from the Greenland government.
Trump posted on social media about his son’s trip.
“Don Jr and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals.
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by its people. “Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said.