Trump plans to turn Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal into US territories

(CLO) US President-elect Donald Trump once again proposed a plan to buy Greenland from Denmark, turn Canada into the "51st state" of the US and demand to regain control of the Panama Canal.

After appointing his ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Trump declared: "For reasons of national security and global freedom, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is absolutely necessary."

Also over the weekend, Mr Trump suggested that the US could take control of the Panama Canal if shipping costs between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans were not resolved.

In addition, Mr. Trump also suggested that Canada could become the 51st state of the US and called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "governor" of the "great state of Canada".

Mr. Trump recently posted on social media that "Canadians want Canada to be the 51st state," along with a picture of himself standing on a mountaintop, looking around with a Canadian flag next to him.

US President-elect Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him. Photo: Truth Social/realDonaldTrump

These statements are part of a list of countries and territories that Mr. Trump made before he officially took office on January 20.

Prime Minister Trudeau said Mr. Trump was joking about the possibility of annexing Canada to the United States, however, the two met recently at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss threats to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.

Greenland, the world's largest island, lies between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The island is 80% covered in ice and is home to a major US military base.

Greenland gained autonomy from Denmark in 1979, and Greenland's prime minister, Mute Bourup Egede, has spoken out against Trump's demands to transfer control. "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and we will never sell. We cannot afford to lose our many years of struggle for freedom," Egede said.

In 2019, Mr. Trump canceled a visit to Denmark after Denmark rejected his offer to buy Greenland, and the plan ultimately fell through.

Trump also said on Sunday that the United States was being “ripped off” at the Panama Canal. “If the moral and legal principles of this generous gesture are not upheld, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States, in its entirety, speedily, and without question,” he said.

The Panama Canal, a major construction project built by the United States in the early 1900s, was transferred to Panama under a treaty signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. The United States formally relinquished control of the canal on December 31, 1999, nearly 25 years ago.

The Panama Canal has recently faced a serious problem as its reservoirs have been affected by a prolonged drought in 2023. This has caused a significant reduction in the number of ships passing through the canal. With fewer ships, canal authorities have had to increase the fees that shipping lines pay to reserve slots to use the canal.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will remain so.” Trump immediately responded on social media: “Let’s see!” He also posted a photo of the American flag in the canal area, with the caption: “Welcome to the American Canal!”

Hoai Phuong (according to Metro, CNN, NYT)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-trump-co-ke-hoach-bien-canada-greenland-va-kenh-dao-panama-thanh-lanh-tho-my-post327203.html