US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to rule out using military or economic action to pursue acquisition of the Panama Canal and Greenland, floated the idea of adding Canada to the US, demanded much more defence spending from NATO allies and promised to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of the America as part of a wider expansionist programme he has been pushing since winning the election, reports Reuters.
Donald Trump will take office on the 20th of January.
US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that NATO members should increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP.
“They can afford it, but it should be 5%, not 2%,” Trump told reporters.
“If they pay their bills, and if I believe they are treating us fairly, the answer is clear, I will stay with NATO,” the President-elect added.
Asked whether he intends to use military force to bring about Canada’s integration into the US, Trump replied “no, economic force”.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You would get rid of this artificially drawn line and you should imagine what that would look like and it would be much better for national security,” added the future White House host.
At the same time, he did not dismiss the possibility of military intervention in Panama or Greenland.
“I can say that we need them for economic security,” Trump said, adding that he was not prepared to commit himself to the idea of not using military force. “It may happen that something has to be done.”
“The Panama Canal is vital for our country. We need Greenland for national security purposes,” the President-elect reiterated.
He suggested that he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resisted his offer to buy Greenland.
Denmark has declared that Greenland, which is part of its kingdom, is not for sale.
“I don’t think it’s the best way move forward, fighting each other financially, when we are close allies and partners,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said late on Tuesday night in response to Trump’s comments.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on X: “President-elect Trump’s comments show a complete misunderstanding of what makes Canada a strong country. Our economy is strong. Our nation is strong. We will never back down in the face of threats.”
Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha on Tuesday also refuted threats by the incoming US leader to reclaim the world’s main waterway, which the US built and owned before ceding control to Panama in 1999.
Trump’s pledge to rename the Gulf of Mexico echoed his earlier promise to change the name of North America’s highest mountain peak, Denali, to Mount McKinley.
Later on Tuesday, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard rejected Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico. “If we see each other in 30 years, the Gulf of Mexico will still be called the Gulf of Mexico,” he said, adding that Mexico would not enter the debate.
Trump was also asked whether Elon Musk should be allowed to publicly state his views on foreign affairs. In recent weeks, the billionaire has used his X platform to comment on European politics.
“I have to say that Elon is doing a good job, very smart guy,” Trump said.
Tuesday’s press conference took place in the luxurious living room of Trump’s Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago.