Occupy Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada

(CLO) US President-elect Donald Trump said he would not rule out the possibility of using military or economic action to pursue control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada during a press conference on Tuesday (January 7).

Control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada

Asked at a news conference at his Florida resort whether he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic coercion in trying to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump replied, “No, I can’t assure you of either of those things. But I can say, we need them for economic security.”

Mr Trump, who takes office on January 20, has also floated the idea of ​​making Canada a US state. The US president-elect has also said he will demand much higher defence spending from NATO allies and has promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Florida on January 7, 2025. (Photo courtesy of AP, not for re-release)

Mr Trump has criticised US spending on Canadian goods and military aid to Canada, saying the US benefits nothing from doing so and calling the border between the two countries an "artificially drawn line".

He said he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it rejected his offer to buy Greenland, which he said was vital to U.S. national security. Just before Mr. Trump’s comments, his son Don Jr. traveled to Greenland on a personal visit.

Backlash from all sides

Denmark has said Greenland, a self-governing territory of the kingdom, is not for sale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said late Tuesday in response to Trump's comments: "I don't think it's a good idea to fight each other financially when we are close allies and partners."

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told X: "President-elect Trump's comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country. Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down from threats."

The Panamanian government has not yet responded to Trump's statement. However, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has previously rejected the idea of ​​returning the canal to the United States, which owned it before handing control over to Panama in 1999.

Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who is expected to play a key role in emerging trade issues between the United States and Mexico, rejected Mr Trump's call to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday.

"I can tell you today that if we meet again in 30 years, the Gulf of Mexico will still be called the Gulf of Mexico," he said, adding that Mexico would not be drawn into this debate.

NATO should spend 5% of GDP on defense

Mr Trump also said NATO members should spend 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, up from the current target of 2%. “I think NATO should be 5%… They can all afford it,” he said.

A view of US President-elect Donald Trump's press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Florida on January 7, 2025. (Photo copyrighted by AP, not for re-release)

The US president-elect has frequently complained that most NATO members do not pay their fair share, and he made demands for increased defense contributions to NATO during his election campaign.

NATO estimates that 23 of its 32 members will meet the target of spending 2% of GDP by 2024. According to NATO figures, no member of the alliance, including the United States, currently spends 5% of GDP on defense. Poland is the highest spender in terms of GDP at 4.12%, followed by Estonia at 3.43% and the United States at 3.38%.

Mr Trump also reiterated his threat that “all hell will break loose in the Middle East” if Palestinian Hamas militants do not release the hostages they kidnapped from Israel by October 7, 2023, and who are still being held in the Gaza Strip before he takes office. “This will not be good for Hamas and frankly, it will not be good for anybody,” he said.

Praise Elon Musk, criticize the judge

Mr Trump was also asked whether Elon Musk should weigh in publicly on foreign affairs. In recent weeks, Mr Trump’s billionaire ally has used his X platform to comment on European politics, including expressing support for Germany’s far-right AfD party. “I can tell Elon is doing well, he’s a very smart guy,” Mr Trump said.

The hour-long, free-flowing press conference was Mr Trump's second since winning the US presidential election in November 2024, recalling similar events during his campaign.

He has made a series of familiar criticisms of his criminal indictments, including attacking Judge Juan Merchan, who is scheduled to sentence Mr Trump on Friday for falsifying business records related to paying hush money to a porn star.

A New York appeals court rejected his latest attempt to postpone the sentence shortly after the press conference ended.

Hoang Huy (according to TM, CBS, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bai-phat-bieu-cua-ong-donald-trump-co-the-chiem-kenh-dao-panama-greenland-va-canada-post329450.html