During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using military force to seize control of both Greenland and the Panama Canal.
The revelation came in response to a reporter’s question on whether the president-elect could assure the public he could achieve his goal without the use of military or economic force. “No, I can’t assure you of either of those two.” He also said, “It might be that you have to do something.” Trump claimed that we need them for economic and national security.
The shocking statements came as his son, Donald Trump Jr., led an unofficial delegation to Greenland to create “media content,” where local government officials have declined to meet with the group.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded diplomatically following Trump’s escalation, emphasizing America’s role as Denmark’s “most important and closest ally” while expressing confidence that military force wouldn’t be used against Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
At the Mar-a-Lago press conference, Trump also continued to emphasize his recent vision of having Canada become the 51st state of the United States, using economic rather than military force to achieve this.
Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, said on December 23, 2024, before Trump declined to rule out the use of military force, that “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
