United States President-elect, Donald Trump has made consequential statements on his foreign policy agenda, during a wide-ranging news conference in his Mar-a-Lago estate
Though the President-elect touched on several domestic subjects, pledging to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he expounded on a sweeping expansionist vision, with consequences for countries across the world.
He repeated his desire for US control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada.
In one exchange with reporters, Trump was asked if he would rule out the use of military force or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
He refused, saying, “I’m not going to commit to that.”
He then pivoted to the canal, an arterial trade route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country,” he stated.
He later added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”
Both Greenland’s and Denmark’s Prime Ministers have ruled out the prospect of the sprawling Arctic island being transferred to US control.
The government of Panama has likewise maintained that the canal will remain Panamanian, as it has been since the US relinquished control in 1999, following a treaty negotiated under late US President Jimmy Carter.
Also, Trump made bold statements about his intentions towards Canada, one of the US’s largest trading partners.
The country shares an 8,891-kilometre (5,525-mile) border with the US, and Trump in recent weeks has suggested it should become the US’s 51st state.
During the news conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which has traditionally been a close ally — though not “economic force.”
Referring to the US-Canada border, the US President-elect stated, “You get rid of the artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what it looks like, and it would also be much better for national security.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to the prospect on social media, stressing, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
Trump renewed his pledge to impose “substantial tariffs” on Mexico and Canada if they do not acquiesce to demands to stem irregular migration and drug trafficking into the US.
Trump had previously threatened to slap 25-percent tariffs on the two countries, despite warnings from economists that trade wars could mangle heavily interconnected North American industries.
In another reference to changing the regional map, Trump said that the Gulf of Mexico should be named the “Gulf of America.”
He said that it has a “beautiful ring to it.”
Trump Takes Harsher Stance On Israel’s War
Meanwhile, Trump took a harsher stance on Israel’s war against Hamas, focusing on the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas. Israel estimates about 100 people remain in Hamas’ custody.
Trump stated that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release captives by the time he takes office.
Some observers have interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat of possible US military intervention in Gaza, a line that outgoing President Joe Biden has refused to cross, despite surging military aid to Israel.
When asked to explain what he meant at the news conference, Trump asserted, “Do I have to define it for you? All hell will break out if those hostages aren’t back.”
“If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don’t have to say any more, but that’s what it is.”
Donald Trump
